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QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY 


©utrks att& Quibbles from &um Quarters, 


A MELANGE OF QUESTIONS IN LITERATURE, SCIENCE, 
HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY, MYTHOLOGY, 
PHILOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY, 

ETC. ETC. 

WITH THEIR ANSWERS. 


BY 


ALBERT P. SOUTHWICK, A. M. 

'A 


AUTHOR OF DIME SERIES OF QUESTION BOOKS, 
SHORT STUDIES IN LITERATURE, ETC. 


limtl) lEbttton. 


BOSTON: 

NEW ENGLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
3 Somerset Street. 




\ 0-5 
. 'bc-t 


Copyright, 1884, 

By New England Publishing Co» 


Transfer 

Engineers School Liby 
June 29,1931 


PREFATORY, 


In furtherance of the design of helping others to secure 
accurate scholarship, of correcting many popular errors and 
vulgar fallacies, of tendering an explanation of the many 
common philosophical principles which arise daily, and of 
the casual expressions and frequent quotations interpolated 
in ordinary conversation, this work is offered to an appre¬ 
ciative and critical public. 

That it may produce higher and more noble results of 
awakening an intense interest in general study among the 
great body of teachers and students, and that its literary 
worth may prove acceptable to the vast array of intelligent 
readers and the intelligence of the land, — to whom educa¬ 
tional technics are undiscussed problems, — is the heartfelt 
wish of the writer. 






INTRODUCTORY. 


“ What song the Syrens sang , or what name Achilles assumed 
when he hid himself among women , though puzzling questions , 
are not beyond all conjecture .”— Urn-Burial, chap. 5. 


u The contents of his book seemed to be as heterogeneous 
as those of the witches’ caldron in Macbeth. It was here a 
finger and there a thumb, toe of frog and blind-worm's 
sting, with his own gossip poured in like ‘ baboon’s blood,’ 
to make the medley ‘ slab and good.’ ” — Irving. 


“ I did not ask you to come to talk business, but I think 
we are entitled to congratulate ourselves all round, I do, 
really. I say it’s a deuced good-looking periodical we’ve 
turned out. I’m not ashamed to have it lying in my draw¬ 
ing-room, and when any one comes in, I’m not ashamed if 
they take it up.” — William Black , Shandon Bells, chap. 8. 








INDEX 


A 

Page 

Abelard and Heloise. 146 

Acestes. 172 

Achilles Puzzle. 179 

Acrostic, Napoleonic. 34 

Adoption of Bible as Constitution . .. 5 

Adoption of Stars and Stripes. 92 

A famous beauty stoned to death. 174 

A floating town. 62 

A fugitive king concealed in a tree. 132 

Age of Delaware and Rhode Island. 113 

Age of Niagara Falls. 20 

“ A good poet, but a poor shoemaker ”. 135 

Alexander the Great. 22 

American Daughters of Liberty. 97 

Amethyst, and its meaning. 13 

An army officer at the age of eleven. 105 

Animals noted for the golden tint of their skin. 141 

Animal that never perspires. 141 

Animal with a sixth sense. 141 

Animal called the Unicorn. 142 

An “ atmosphere ”. 41 

Aristotle, the founder of Botany. 181 

Asdrubal’s head. 188 

Assailant of Epaminondas. 123 

Assassin of William, Prince of Orange. 99 

Attack on Fort Bowyer. 182 

Attack upon Indian town of Mississinewa. 133 

Aurora and Tithonus. 212 

Author born on board a slave ship. 133 

Author of “Angels’ visits,” etc. 127 

Author of “ Early to bed,” etc.. 177 


































viii INDEX. 

Page 

Author of “ For he that fights,” etc.... 46 

Autuwr of “ Our country, right or wrong ”. 77 

Autnor of “ Maryland, my Maryland ” . 41 

Author or “ Speech was given to conceal one’s thoughts ”. 91 

Author of “ The Three Rs ”. 93 

Author of “ What will Mrs. Grundy say? ”. 170 

Author of “ Whatever is worth doing at all,” etc. 175 

Avernus . .. 51 

B 

Baker’s dozen. 51 

Battle of Great Bridge. 83 

Battle of Hanging Rock. 178 

Battle of the Herrings. 51 

Battle of the Spurs. 51 

Bay of St. Mary . 9 

Becoming king by first seeing sun rise. 159 

Beginning of funeral orations. 197 

Beginning of slave trade. 137 

Beginning of the flood. 107 

Benedict Arnold’s assumed name. 22 

Bibliomancy .. 45 

Bird without wings. 143 

Bird without a tail. 143 

Bird supposed to be the “ Cony 1 ' ” of Scripture. 144 

Bird used by Chinese for fishing. 145 

Bird with bristly gape. 145 

Birth of Adam. 43 

Birthplace of Homer ■ . .. 7 

Black Friday... 56 

Black Hawk War. 181 

Black Monday. 52 

Black Saturday. 52 

Black Thursday. 52 

Blood’s Conspiracy. 150 

Bloodless victory to the Americans. 191 

Blue Beard. 19 

“ Bort ”. 10 

Boundary between United States and Canada .. 58 

Brandy Nan. 130 

“Bravest of the Brave” .. 130' 

Brazilian slave gaining freedom ... • • .. 11 










































INDEX, 


ix 

Page 

“ Briareus of languages ”. 130 

British force surrendering to a log. 21 

“Brown study ”. 26 

Building bridge of boats across Hudson. 102 

Burning of Temple of Diana. 83 

“ Burning spears ”. 35 

C 

Cjesar and the astrologer. 27 

Cats minus tails. 76 

California diamonds. 73 

Captain John Smith’s life saved. 31 

Capture of Pocahontas. 31 

Carat weight. 10 

Cause of “Sicilian Vespers”. 89 

Cause of pitcher sweating. 74 

Cause of slaughter of the Magi. 81 

Cause of Washington being called American Fabius. 167 

Cause of white streaks on plastered wall. 73 

Cento. 33 

Chronograms. 26 

City built on five small islands. 62 

City built on piles. 4 

City built on twenty-six islands. 3 

City founded by Pizarro. 185 

Cleopatra’s Needle. 69 

Climbing fishes. 15 

Connecting link between birds and reptiles. 24 

Ceprolites. 31 

Corinth’s pedagogue. 135 

Corinthian Maid.191 

Crocodile tears.137 • 

Crowned king on the field of battle. 205 

Curse of Ernulphus . 151 

Curse of Scotland. 124 

Custom of Borough-English. 186 

“Cuttle-fish” bones. 17 

Cutty pipes. 129 

Cyprinodon. 23 

D 

Day of the Dupes. 210 

Dead Sea ....... 63 









































INDEX 


s: 

Page 

Death of Cleopatra. 61 

Death of noted conqueror on eve of marriage .. 150 

Defeating five Kings. 199 

Definition of Aceldama. 147 

Definition of letter “ A ”.. . 50 

Definition of the Epact... 210 

Derivation of cameo . 95 

Derivation of word “ punch ” . 128 

Despard’s Conspiracy. 194 

Desperate naval battle. 134 

Destruction of Herculaneum and Pompeii. 37 

Destruction of Parthenon. 103 

Detection of a British spy. 19 

Detecting the waters of the Amazon. 20 

“ Devil’s Arrows ”. 38 

“ Devil’s Pulpit ”. 20 

Did George Washington see a steamboat?. 113 

Difference between a Bison and a Buffalo.. . . 142 

Discovery of the Ichthyosaurus. 73 

Discovery of magnetic power of copper wire.. 116 

Discovery of Pompeii.„. . . 203 

Do barking dogs bite?. 51 

Does the porcupine throw his quills ?. 144 

Doubling of the letter ‘ ‘ y ” ?. 116 

Drinking the burnt remains (ashes) of her brother. 188 

Drinking vessels formed of human skulls. 107 

Driving last spike of the U. P. Railroad. 57 

Dutch Tear. 182 

E 

$ 

Ear of Dionysius. 56 

Eclipse of moon causes defeat. 43 

Eclipse of sun terminates a battle. 104 

Eden of America.• •. 108 

Ell English ... 38 

English king holds stirrup for the Pope . . . ... 57 

Entrance of hell. 70 

“ Era of good feeling ”. 14 

Escape of a Pope from prison. 108 

Escape of Ulysses..-. . 28 

Establishment of republic of Andorra.148 










































INDEX, 


xi 


F 

Page 

Fable of the Phoenix . ... , , , .. 210 

Falls of Kartern. 41 

Falls of Tequendama. 31 

Familiar story of Sysla and a king. 57 

Famous lifting experiment. 128 

Famous sword captured by John Brown. 15 

Fate of Osceola. 66 

Fate of Louis XVII. 96 

Fate of Romulus. 98 

Father of Russian poetry. 82 

Fifteen decisive battles. 93 

Fifteen hundred people trampled to death. 98 

Finland’s capital. 32 

First American vessels to circumnavigate the globe. 100 

First American Flag. '39 

First appearance of actresses. 179 

First to ascertain the ratio of the diameter to the circumference . . 160 

First commencement at Harvard College. 105 

First commercial transaction. 21 

First circumnavigation of the globe. 67 

First conjecture of spheroidal form of the earth. 118 

First engagement of Revolution. Ill 

First English child born in America. 102 

First feat of pedestrianism. 86 

First Indian to become a Christian. 80 

First known game of cards. 201 

First knowledge of the fan .. 197 

First martyr to American liberty. 4 

First naval battle. 44 

First newspaper. 191 

First parricide ...» .• *. 200 

First play in America. 101 

First proposer of secession. 24 

First ship built in America. 39 

First slave-trader. 106 

First suicide. 138 

First telegraph message. 8 

First Thanksgiving. 35 

First theatre in America built. 139 

First use of expression “ Almighty Dollar ”.. , 50 










































xii INDEX. 

Page 

First use of phrase “ Over the left ”. 152 

First use of post-paid envelopes .. 153 

First use of the Clepsydra.. 184 

First use of umbrellas. 49 

Fish living high on lofty trees. 15 

Fish who stick their heads in the mud. 72 

Fish with four beards hanging from the mouth .. 144 

Flying squirrels. 145 

Fool’s gold. 10 

For what was Barataria Bay noted ?. 180 

Fox-fire. 71 

Frequent quotation from Samuel Butler. 187 

Frog the size of an ox. 72 

C 

Gaining three victories in a single day. 139 

General with two graves. 78 

Gift of diamond ring to a Quaker. 11 

Gift of the Nile. 37 

Gildcroy’s Kite. 38 

Gold coin named “ angel ”. 151 

Golden Verses. 169 

Golour M’Crain. 185 

Gordian Knot. 23 

Governor of Delaware captured. 102 

Grasshopper War. 39 

Gray’s misapplied quotation. 33 

Green Stars. 71 

H 

Hanging Gardens of Babylon. 170 

Harmonia’s fatal presents. 171 

Have reptiles ears?. 144 

Henry Hudson’s crew. 101 

Henry Hudson’s vessel. 27 

Herculean Knot. 23 

Hermit of Niagara Falls. 90 

Highest fortress in the world. 63 

High-priced bird .. 25 

High price paid for a cat. 160 

Hindoo’s belief. 25 

Historic castles. 117 








































INDEX 


xiii 

Page 

History of derivation of the dollar sign. 74 

History of the Fabii. 195 

History of the House of Plantagenet. 202 

History of the Orloff Diamond.. 12 

Home of the Gold.... 78 

Horse-shoe becoming an omen. 77 

How Bonaparte’s life was saved. 10G 

How the Bonapartes derived the name of Napoleon. 91 

How Captain Cook was killed. 199 

How do leafless plants respire?. 140 

How did the character £ come in use ?. 74 

How far can flying fishes fly?. 121 

How a fortune was left to son of Henry Laurens. 108 

How General Rahl lost his life. 40 

How Glaucus obtained divine rank. 69 

How grasshoppers breathe. 77 

How the Liberty Tree Avas consecrated. 100 

How Lord Kingsale acquired his special privilege. 172 

How many Athenians fell at Marathon?. 80 

How often do birds moult their feathers ?. 142 

How the shamrock came into use as a badge. 137 

How the buttercup derived its name. 131 

How the capitol of Rome derived its namq,. 183 

How the dahlia derived its name. 193 

How the Minie Rifle obtained its name. 190 

How the thistle became the insignia of Scotland. 211 

How the gift of prophecy Avas obtained. G8 

IIoav Xerxes counted his army. 42 

I 

Idleness punished by death. 194 

Inchcape Rock. 173 

Index Expurgatorius. 83 

Indians scalped by white men. 13 

Infant Prodigy. 173 

Insects injurious to books. 119 

Introduction of pantaloons.. . 91 

Introduction of slaves into Virginia. 135 

Invention of chess. 57 

Invention of clocks. 154 

Invention of gunpowder. 81 

Invention of masks.. . .. 186 










































ESTDEX, 


xiv 

Page 

Invention of playing cards. ......... 46 

Inverted volcano... 72 

Iron crown of Lombardy. 148 

J 

Jeanne Hachette. 99 

Jews-Harp. 82 

John O’Groat. 170 

Joice Heath.*. 82 

Joshua and Caleb. 21 

K 

Killed by kindness. 52 

King becoming a cook. 97 

King Cophetua. 18 

King dying in his carriage . .. 97 

Ivet’s Rebellion. 84 

Key of Bastile. 44 

Kufic coins. 54 

L 

Lady of the Haystack. 173 

Lake of pitch. 13 

Lamp of Epictetus. 184 

Land of mud. 4L 

Largest lump of gold. 11 

Last battle of the Revolution. 109 

Latest accession of United States territory. 8 

Laura de Noves. 82 

“Lemures”. 85 

Location of Cape Hancock. 179 

Location of Captain Smith’s “ Summer Isles”. 80 

'Location of garden of the Ilesperides. 68 

Location of Raleigh Tavern. 60 

London Stone. 185 

Longfellow’s mistake. 8 

Lord Cornwallis and his horse.;. 34 

Lynch law. 85 

M 

Madame Chanoyes. 80 

Made king by the neighing of his horse.j. 136 

Man Avith the Iron Mask. 84 





































INDEX. 


atv 

Page 

Mantuan Bard . 186 

Mary Hamilton. 140 

Marriage of Columbus. 7 

Massacre at Paoli. 86 

Massacre at Valteline. 140 

Massacre of one hundred thousand Romans. 190 

Material of breastworks at New Orleans. 163 

Meal-Tub Plot. 189 

Meaning of Bab-el-Mandeb. 62 

Meaning of Brazil. 183 

Meaning of expression “Nestor of politics ” 168 

Meaning of Gibraltar. 169 

Meaning of Godwin’s Oath. 177 

Meaning of Manhattan.'. 27 

Meaning of Maunday-Thursday. 18S 

Meaning of Patagonia. 182 

Meaning of phrase “ A Roland for an Oliver ”. 168 

Meaning of “ Remember the Raisin! ”. 200 

Meaning of “ Sardonic Smile ”. 175 

Meaning of Texas. 174 

Meaning of the saying “ Cassar’s wife,” etc. 127 

Meaning of the word Assassin. 120 

Meaning of “ True Blue ”.„. 129 

Mecklenberg Resolutions. 22 

Meeting of Columbus with his brother. 103 

Mesas. 73 

Metamorphosis of Arachne. 68 

Michael Servetus. 1S1 

Military order instituted by Philip the Good.. 177 

Monmouth’s Rebellion. 193 

Most curious book in the world. 162 

Most destructive earthquake on record. 36 

Mother of three kings. 34 

Mount Galongoon. 105 

Murmuring noise of sea-shells. 23 

Mutiny of crew of the Bounty . 83 

N 

Name of the Indian that shot King Philip. 62 

Name of isthmus connecting Crimea with mainland. 201 

Name of longest street in Paris. 122 

Napoleon’s bon mot . 33 










































xvi INDEX. 

Page 

Napoleon’s escape. 85 

Napoleon’s fortune. 152 

Nearest American town to Europe.... 63 

Nell Gwynn. 200 

Nemean Games. 86 

Nest-building fishes. 14 

Norfolk Island. 87 

Noted anagrams . .. 149 

Noted chair in Bodleian Library. 128 

Noted dinner party. 20 

Number of Iliads. 172 

Nurse of Romulus. 185 

o 

Oates’s Plot. 198 

Obelisk to Logan. 117 

Occasion of bad odor of burnt gunpowder. 146 

Offering a reward for her brother’s head. 14 

“ Old Donation ”. 39 

Old John Butler. 33 

Old Man Eloquent. 67 

Old Man of the Mountains. 50 

Oldest fable on record. 196 

Oldest poem in existence. 44 

Oldest republic in the world. 44 

Orator Henley. 198 

Order of the Garter established. 171 

Origin of a “ bumper ”.. 167 

Origin of Arabic numerals. 5 

Origin of common saying “ Eaten me out,” etc. 186 

Origin of expression “ Knock under”. 53 

Origin of familiar line “ Hypocrisy is,” etc. 176 

Origin of filibuster. 115 

Origin of Grog. 54 

Origin of kissing the Pope’s toe. 53 

Origin of mesmerism . . . .. 189 

Origin of pasquinades. 201 

Origin of “ Ps and Qs ”. 45 

Origin of phrase “ A little bird,” etc. 126 

Origin of phrase “ Kicking the bucket ”. 166 

Origin of phrase “ Sub rosa”. 47 

Origiu of superstition regarding the number 13 ... s. 6 










































INDEX, 


xvii 

Page 

Origin of term “ Yankee ”... 24 

Origin of texts. 45 

Origin of the fable of the “ Man in the moon ”. 206 

Origin of the name of Lake Itasca.176 

Origin of the Sandwich ... 209 

Origin of the sycamore groves in Scotland. 138 

Origin of “To let the cat out of the bag ”. 132 

Origin of word blarney . 52 

Origin of word “ News ”. 158 

Origin of Yankee Doodle. 90 

Original cause of exempting Congressmen from arrest. 196 

Original legend of Gulliver'a Travels . 208 

Original Mrs. Partington... 6 

“Ossuary”. 40 

Ostracism. 67 

P 

Pastimes of animals. 141 

Peculiar properties of salt. 29 

“Pele’shair” . 26 

People regarding Friday as a lucky day. 60 

People using 355 days for a year. 16 

Petition of sixteen maids. 49 

Peter the wild boy. 87 

Philomela changed into a nightingale. 68 

Pillars of Hercules. 165 

Place where Captain John Smith was saved by Pocahontas .... 64 

Plant producing sixty-six millions of cells. 141 

Plumage of birds rendered waterproof . 143 

Polka first danced. 49 

Pompey’s pillar. 88 

Pons Asinorum . 175 

“ Poor Man’s Region”.• •. 30 

Pope Joan. 88 

Possessor of the largest diamond . 12 

“Pot-holes”. 37 

Prediction of the death of Cyrus. 175 

Prince Rupert’s Drop. 70 

Prussian Leonidas. 107 

Pulaski’s Banner. 9 

Pulpit Rock. 37 

Punishment by cutting off the hair. 178 

Purchase of the Hessians .. 79 











































xviii 


INDEX. 


Q Page 

Quicksilver, a nickname for mercury.. . 35 

Quotation from Travels of Gulliver . 18 

Quotations from William Congi’eve. 205 

Quotation from William Slienstone. 5 

Quotations from speech of William Wirt. 5 

R 

Reason of the promise of Columbus. 103 

Reason of circular boundary of Delaware. 28 

Red Canary birds. 146 

Rent paid by Lord Baltimore. 98 

Reply of Leonidas to Xerxes. 166 

Report of General Greene. 133 

Resina and its location. 26 

Resting-place of the Ark. 149 

Revolutionary officer kept prisoner at Jamaica. 123 

Rider of Black Horse. 68 

River of acid water and of ink. 36 

River of poetic inspiration. 131 

“Rock cities” . 30 

Rosamond’s Bower. 89 

Royal dance of torches .. 107 

Rustic lovers. 100 

S 

Sayings of the Seven Wise Men. 15 

Scottish Solomon. 32 

Seven Cities Cities of Cibola. 75 

Seven senses. 32 

Shipwreck of St. Paul. 108 

Sicilian Vespers. 81 

Ship canal across Panama. 114 

Signification of “ I have a crow,” etc. 135 

Sign of a wine-shop at Pompeii. 129 

Singing fishes. 14 

Singing mice. 144 

Simplest pocket rule. 43 

Skull of Alexander Pope. 164 

Snuff box sold for thirty dollars. 130 

Solidity of minerals. 38 

Solomon puzzled. 80 







































INDEX. 


xix 

Page 

Song of the Sirens . .. 2S 

Source of glycerine. 176 

Spy swallowing the evidence of his guilt. 59 

Stalactites and stalagmites. 11 

St. Anthony’s diet. 146 

“ Starving Time ” in Virginia. 64 

Stone that imparted the gift of prophecy.. 207 

Stone-suckers. 145 

Stopping the pulsation of the heart. 29 

Storks protected by law. 62 

St. Petersburg and its location. 5 

Story of Dorigen. 166 

Story of Inkle and Yarico. 208 

Story of Jaafer. 211 

Story of Mazeppa. 206 

Story of Prince San Severo. 71 

Story of the remains of James II. 54 

Story of the diamond necklace. 194 

Story of the Kilkenny cats. 132 

Stratagem of Columbus. 155 

Superstition regarding “ burning ear ”. 209 

Swiftest of all runners. 131 

T 

Taurosthenes. 202 

Tchernaya. 138 

Teacher of deaf and dumb. 112 

Temple of Jupiter Ammon. 63 

Termination of reign of gigantic reptiles. 72 

The Albatross. 114 

The Aqua Tofana . . 202 

The bearded Tortoise. 144 

The Beggar Monarch. 102 

The Blue River. 95 

The Boy Bachelor. 130 

The Badians. 81 

The “ El Dorado ”. 195 

The eleven thousand virgins._. 174 

The four labyrinths. 184 

The Golden King. 95 

The Golden Number. 16 

'The herbivorous whale. 142 










































INDEX 


xx 

Page 

The Governor with twenty brothers.. . • ..121 

The Greek woman attending Plato’s lectures. 118 

The killer of all people but three. 167 

The laughing philosopher.• •. 172 

The Mons Meg. 95 

The newest mountains. 18 

The “Notables ”. 207 

The original Tammany. 138 

The Pantheon .. 199 

The Praslin murder. 184 

The puffing pig. 145 

The Santa Maria. 7 

The seven bibles. 58 

The “ short-lived ” administration. 137 

The sleeping philosopher. 167 

The stone mountain. 11 

The Sultan who strangled nineteen brothers. 133 

The Tarpeian Rock. 122 

“ The Tea Parties ”. 64 

The Tenth Muse. 204 

The three angels who warned Abraham. 207 

The “ three joyous messages ”. 90 

The three kings of Cologne. 53 

The three nations of Amazons. 147 

The three tobacco-takers. 129 

The three vitriols. 12 

The Thundering Legion. 205 

The tune of which the cow died. 174 

The “tin-cry”. 69 

The toad-stone. 69 

The tradition of St. Patrick and the serpent. 212 

The traitor at Thermopyl®. 80 

The transformation of the pious couple. 69 

The two Spartans who left the “ Pass ”. 41 

The Ungrateful Guest. 170 

The Walloons..*. 150 

The Wandering Jew. 16 

The “ wish-bone ” of birds. 143 

Titan’s Pier. 30 

To whom were a bird, mouse, etc., sent?. 79 

To whom were raised 360 brazen statues ?. 123 

Trajan’s floating palace. 99 













































INDEX 


xxi 

^ Page 

Valley of Death. 3 

Valley of the Upas Tree. 36 

Venice and its location. 4 

Vestal Virgins. 143 

Victoria Cross .-. 150 

W 

Water Volcano. 182 

Web of Penelope. 168 

What animal never sleeps?. 22 

What country has never been conquered?. 180 

What is Endymion ? 167 

What was the Strelitz ?. 204 

When did cats, dogs, etc., cause the capture of a city?. 79 

When was an infant the only being saved?. 106 

When was Rome saved?. 169 

Where did Newton see the apple fall?. 50 

Where did Sir John Falstaff drop his lance?. 97 

Where was Nephelo-coccygia?. 203 

“White man’s grave” . 63 

Who were the Volsci?. 204 

Who called Shakespeare “ the myriad-minded ” ?. 176 

Who died in consequence of a “ ducking ” ? .. 205 

Who first said “ There’s many a slip,” etc. ?. 136 

Who first saw the New World?... 7 

Who killed Tecumseh ?. 56 

Who said “ Apres moi le deluge ” t . 166 

Who was Eucles?. 44 

Who was Iros ?. 207 

Who was liberated in exchange for General Burgoyne?. 134 

Who were the “ seven sleepers ” ?. 17 

Whose head was fixed on London Bridge? . .. 103 

Why Adrian’s wall was built. 147 

Why alligators swallow stones. 160 

Why are bricks red?. 10 

Why a body falls east of a vertical line. 122 

Why do soap-bubbles rise?. f . . 41 

Why does lightning turn milk sour?. 59 

Why did no person die in England for eleven days?. 114 

Why Goldsmith wrote She Stoops to Conquer . 209 

Why have July and August each thirty-one days?. 115 









































• « 


xxii INDEX. 

Why Is fresh water frozen when enclosed by liquid salt water? . . 

Why John Cleves Symmes is remembered. 

Why metal Tungsten has the symbol W. 

Why Passion Flower was so named. 

Why was Temple of Piety built?. 

Why stones do not burn as well as wood. 

Wife of Martin Luther. 

Wine worth two millions of dollars a bottle. 

“Wise men of Gotham”... 

Writer of 278 poems before the age of seventeen. 

Y 

Year of Great Babies... 

Yttrium, the rare metal..... 


Page 

117 

98 

142 

208 

139 

71 

134 

165 

126 

102 


42 

151 


«- 













QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


1. Where is the “Valley of Death” ? 

In the Island of Java. It is simply the crater of an 
extinct volcano, half a mile in circumference, filled with 
carbonic-acid gas, which continually emanates from fissures 
in the bottom of the valley. The gas being invisible, and 
entirely irrespirable, every living thing that descends below 
the margin of the valley is instantly suffocated; and, as the 
same fate awaits any one that may go to the rescue, the 
ground is covered with the bones of numerous animals, and 
even men, that have approached the precincts. A desert 
valley in Southern California bears the same name. 

This depression, which is situated east of the highest 
ranges of the Sierra Nevada (the Telescopes), is watered 
by the Amargoza River. It is about forty miles wide, a 
hundred miles in length, and its center is, in winter, 
a salt marsh, whose surface is two hundred and eighty feet 
below the sea level. 

2. What city stands on twenty-six islands ? 

Ghent, Belgium. The islands are connected with each 
other by eighty bridges. The city has three hundred streets, 
and thirty public squares. It is noted for being the birth¬ 
place of Charles V. and John of Gaunt, u time-honored 
Lancaster ”; and the scene of the “ Pacification of Ghent ” 
(November 8, 1576), several insurrections, sieges, and 



4 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


executions. It is associated with American history by that 
u foolish treaty ” made there, December 24,1814, terminating 
the second war between England and the United States. 

3. What city is built upon piles driven into the 
ground ? 

Amsterdam, Holland. It is intersected by numerous 
canals crossed by nearly three hundred bridges. The city 
resembles Venice in the intermixture of land and water, 
though it is considerably larger. The canals divide the city, 
which is about ten miles in circumference, into ninety 
islands. 

4. Where is Venice built ? 

On eighty islets, which are connected by nearly four 
hundred bridges. Canals serve for streets and gondolas 
for carriages. The bridges generally are steep, but with 
easy steps. The circumference of the city is about eight 
miles. Venice joined the Lombard league against the 
German Emperor, and, in 1177, gained a great victory in 
defence of Pope Alexander III., over the fleet headed by 
Otho, son of Frederic Barbarossa. In gratitude for this 
victory the Pope gave the Doge Ziani a ring, and instituted 
the ceremony of “ marrying the Adriatic.” 

5. Who was the first martyr to American liberty ? 

On February 22,1770, a mob, principally boys, attacked 
the house of Mr. Richardson, Boston, owing to his having 
attempted to remove the mark set against the house of one 
Lille, who had contravened the non-importation law. 
Richardson fired upon the mob and killed Christopher 
Snider , a boy eleven ye ars of age, who was recorded in the 
public prints as “ the first martyr to American liberty.” 


QtriZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


5 


6. What is the location of St. Petersburg ? 


It is built chiefly on a peninsula, on the left bank of the 
Neva, and on two adjoining islands. The river is crossed 
by one stone bridge, and by several floating bridges, which 
are removed in winter, when the ice serves as a highway. 

7. When and where was a convention held in a barn, 
and the Bible adopted as a constitution ? 

At Quinipiac, Connecticut, April 13, 1638, by the settlers, 
who afterwards laid the foundation of a city and called it 
New Haven. 

8. Who said, u Show me a man’s handwriting, and I 
will tell you his character ” ? 

William Shenstone, the poet, literary idler, and landscape 
gardener, born in 1714, in Shropshire, England, where his 
father owned the small estate of Leasowes; wrote Pastoral 
Ballad and The Schoolmistress. He died in 1763. 



9. On what famous occasion were these memorable 
words used : “ A shrubbery, that Shenstone might have 
envied, blooms around him ” ? 

In the trial of Aaron Burr (1756-1836) for treason. By 
William Wirt (1772-1834), in his defence of Blannerhassett, 
at Richmond, Virginia, in 1807. 

10. Who first used in Western Asia the Indian 
figures 1, 2, 3, etc., commonly called the Arabic 
numerals ? 

Mohammed Ben Musa, who lived about A. D. 900. He is 
the earliest Arabian writer on algebra, or the solution of 
problems by means of letters. 


6 


QtflZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


11. Who was the “ original Mrs. Partington ” ? 

A respectable old lady, who lived at Sidmouth, in 
Devonshire, England. Her cottage was on the beach, and 
during an awful storm (in November, 1824, when some fifty 
or sixty ships were wrecked at Plymouth), the sea rose to 
such a height as every now and then to invade the old lady’s 
residence; in fact, almost every wave dashed in at the door. 
Mrs. Partington, with such help as she could command, 
with mops and brooms, as fast as th$ water entered the 
house, mopped it out again; until at llhgtli the waves had 
the mastery, and the dame was compelled to retire to an 
upper story. The first allusion to the circumstance was 
made by Sydney Smith, in a speech on the Reform Bill, in 
which he compared the Conservative opposition to the bill 
to be like the opposition of Dame Partington and her 
mop, who endeavored to mop out the waves of the 
Atlantic.” 

12. What was the origin of the superstition concern¬ 
ing the number 13 ? 

In London, during the twenty years 16G0-79, the general 
death-rate was 80 per 1,000 living, or 1 in 12£. It is probable 
that the belief arose about this time, as it would be a correct 
statement of the probabilities if all classes were propor¬ 
tionally represented. This calculation, by means of a false 
interpretation, has given rise to the prejudice against 
“ thirteen at dinner ” and a supposition that the danger will 
be avoided by inviting a greater number of guests, which 
can only have the effect of augmenting the probability of 
the event so much apprehended. By some it is supposed 
that the superstition owes its origin to the number that sat 
down to the Lord's table just previous to His crucifixion. 
There have been a number of societies formed of thirteen 


QtTlZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


7 


members, to disprove this “ popular fallacy,” one of which 
held its thirty-fifth annual dinner recently, in New York 
City, with ranks unbroken. 

13. “ Seven cities fought for Homer dead % 

Through which Homer living begged his bread.” 

What were the seven cities ? 

Chios, Athens, Rhodes, Colophon, Argos, Smyrna, 
Salamis. They can be easily remembered by the word 

carcass ” which the initials give. Thomas Hey wood, who 
died in 1649, wrote: — 

“ Seven cities warred for Homer being dead; 

Who living had no roofe to shrowd his head”; 

and to Thomas Seward (1708-1790) is accredited the lines: — 

“ Seven wealthy towns contend for Homer dead 

Through which the living Homer begged his bread.” 

14. What was the name of the sailor with Columbus 
who first saw the “New World ” ? 

It was first descried by a mariner on board the Pinta, 
named Rodrigo de Tfiana, at two o’clock in the morning. 
October 12, 1492. 

15. What was the “ Santa Maria ”? 

The only one of the three vessels that had a deck: on 
board of this ship Columbus hoisted his flag. The Pinta 
was commanded by Martin Alonzo Pinzon, and the Nina 
by Vicente v Yanez Pinzon. 

16. Whom did Columbus marry ? 

While at Lisbon (1484) he was accustomed to attend 
religious service at the chapel of the convent of All Saints. 
In this convent were certain ladies of rank, either resident 


8 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


as boarders, or in some religious capacity. With one of 
these, Columbus became acquainted. She was Dona Felipa, 
daughter of Bartolomeo Monis de Perestrello, an Italian 
cavalier, lately deceased, who had been one of the most 
distinguished navigators under Prince Henry, and had 
colonized and governed the Island of Porto Santo. The 
acquaintance soon ripened into attachment, and ended in 
marriage. It appears to have been a match of mere affec¬ 
tion. as the lady was destitute of fortune. There were two 
sons born, Diego and Fernando. 

17. What part of United States territory was most 
recently acquired ? 

The Island of San Juan, near Vancouver’s Island, was 
evacuated by England at the close of November, 1873. The 
Emperor oC Germany,’acting as arbitrator, decided the ques¬ 
tion of ownership in favor of the United States. The 
settlement was agreed upon at the Geneva Congress. 

18. When and what was the first telegraphie 
message sent ? 

In May, 1844, by Samuel Finley Breese Morse, ll. d. The 
message transmitted by him from Washington to Baltimore, 
at the suggestion of Miss Annie Ellsworth, was the expres¬ 
sive scripture, “ What hath God wrought! ” 

19. What mistake has Longfellow made in his 
Hymn of the Moravian Nuns of Bethlehem ? 

In the last two lines the poem reads: — 

“ The warrior took that banner proud, 

And it was his martial cloak and shroud.” 

Now, it is true that the Moravian Sisters at Bethlehem, 


quizzism; and its key. 


9 


Pennsylvania, in 1778, presented a small but elaborately 
wrought banner to Count Pulaski, but it is not true that it 
“was his martial cloak and shroud.” Count Pulaski was 
mortally wounded while at the head of the French and 
American cavalry at the siege of Savannah, October 9, 1779, 
and he died on board the United States brig Wasp, on the 
11th, and was buried beneath the waters of ihe Sa annah 
lliver. The original banner was rescu 'd • by a lieutenant 
and carried to Baltimore where it is now carefully kept in 
a glass case by the Maryland Historical Society, and may be 
seen by any one visiting their rooms, at the corner of Sar¬ 
atoga and St. Paul Streets. Lafayette laid the corner-stone 
of the Pulaski Monument, in 1824, erected by the people 
of Georgia. 

20. What was Pulaski’s Banner ? 

It is said that the banner was of crimson silk, but no 
crimson tint now remains, having faded to a dingy brown. 
The green-shaded yellow silk wreaths and letters are 
better preserved. Inside it is about a foot and two-thirds 
square, or less than a third of a square yard. The inscrip¬ 
tion on one side is a monogram U. S., surrounded by the 
Latin motto u Unita virtus. forcior ''— should be “fortior ” 
— implying that “ united valor is stronger,” and on the other 
side, an Eye in an equilateral triangle, encircled by thirteen 
stars, with the words “ Non alius regit ” (“No other one 
rules”). This precious oriflamme was unfurled to the 
breeze on the occasion of Lafayette’s visit to Baltimore in 
1824. . 

21. What was known as the 11 Bay of St. Mary ” ? 

Between 1528 and 1540, a Spanish navigator discovered 
the Chesapeake, which was marked on Spanish maps as 
the Bay of St. Mary. The entrance was described by 


10 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


Oviedo as between 36° 40' and 37°, and two rivers were 
described as tributaries. If, as is probable, they were the 
York and the James, the former was called ‘‘Salt River” 
and the latter the river of the “ Holy Ghost.” 

22. What is meant by u carat weight ” ? 

The art of cutting and polishing diamonds was unknown 
till 1456, when it was discovered by Louis Berquen, of 
Bruges. In speaking of the size of diamonds the term carat 
is used. This is the name of a bean, which was used in its 
dried state by the natives of Africa in weighing gold, and 
in India in weighing diamonds. Though the bean is not 
used for this purpose now, the name is retained, and the 
carat is nearly four grains Troy. 

23. What is “ fool’s gold ” ? 

Bisulphide of iron, commonly known as iron pyrites. 

24. To what is the term “ bort ” applied ? 

Diamonds that can not be worked are sold under the name 
of &or£, for various uses. Splinters of bort are made into 
fine drills for drilling artificial teeth and gems of various 
kinds. 

25. Why are bricks red ? 

Bricks and common pottery-ware owe their red color to 
the iron naturally contained in the clay of which they are 
formed, the iron, by the action of heat, being converted into 
the red oxide of iron. Some varieties of clay, like that 
found near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, contain little or no iron, 
and the bricks made from it are consequently of light-yellow 
color. 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


11 


26. How could a slave in Brazil gain his freedom ? 

At present they are undergoing a gradual process of 
emancipation; but, formerly, the negro who was so fortu¬ 
nate as to find a diamond weighing seventeen and one-half 
carats, gained a boon which is above the price of gems — 
the boon of liberty. 

27. Where is the famous Stone Mountain ? 

In De Kalb County, Georgia. It is a huge mass of granite 
rising almost perpendicularly several hundred feet above the 
surrounding country. 

28. What is the difference between stalactites and 
stalagmites ? 

Water charged with carbonate of lime and carbonic acid 
falls in drops from the roof and sides of the cavern; but 
each drop, before falling, remains suspended for a time, 
during which it loses, by evaporation, both water and car¬ 
bonic-acid gas, and its solvent power being thus diminished, 
a minute portion of solid carbonate of lime is deposited. 
The same drop also deposits another minute portion of 
calcareous matter on the spot upon which it falls, and as 
the drops collect on nearly the same spot for a long period 
of time, a dependent mass like an icicle is formed from the 
roof of the cavern — the stalactite; while another incrusta¬ 
tion gradually rises up from the floor beneath — the 
stalagmite. In the process of time the two may meet, and 
thus form a continuous column. 

29. What is the weight of the largest lump of gold ? 

The largest lump that has yet been obtained was from 
California. It furnished one hundred and nine pounds and 


12 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


four ounces of pure gold. The first piece of gold found in 
California weighed fifty cents and the second five dollars. 
Since that time one nugget worth #43,000, two #21,000, 
one #10,000, two #8,000, one #6,000, four #5,000, twelve 
worth from #2,000 to #4,000, and eighteen from #1,000 to 
#3,000, have been found and recorded in the history of the 
State. In addition to the above, numberless nuggets worth 
from #100 to #500 are mentioned in the annals of California 
gold-mining during the past twenty years. The first two 
referred to were exchanged for bread, and all trace of them 
was lost. The finder of one of the #8,000 pieces became 
insane the following day, and was confined in the hospital at 
Stockton. 

30. Who is the possessor of the largest diamond ? 

The heirs of the Great Mogul. It weighed, originally, 
900 carats, or 2,769 grains, but it was reduced by cutting to 
861 grains. It is of the size of half a hen’s egg, and is in 
that form. The Pitt or Regent Diamond weighs 419 grains. 
The famous Koh-i-noor (“mountain of light”) weighed, 
originally, 186 carats, but was reduced one third by recut¬ 
ting. 


31. How can the common error of mistaking lime¬ 
stone for gypsum he avoided ? 

By simply testing the substance with acid. A drop will 
occasion an effervescence, showing that it is carbonate, and 
not sulphate, of lime, the acid taking the lime to itself, and 
setting free the carbonic-acid gas. 

32. What are the u three vitriols ” ? 

The green vitriol (sulphate of iron), the blue (sulphate of 
copper), and the white (sulphate of zinc). 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


13 


33. Where is there a Lake of Pitch ? 

In the Island of Trinidad. It is about a mile and a half 
in circumference, and while the asphalluin near the shores 
is sufficiently hard at most seasons to sustain men and quad¬ 
rupeds, it grows soft and warm as you go toward the center, 
and there it is in a boiling state. 

34. What is the meaning of “ Amethyst ” ? 

“A preservative from intoxication”; and was given it 
from a belief of the ancient Persians, that wine drunk from 
goblets made of this mineral lost its inebriating properties. 

35. When were Indians scalped by white men? 

On February 20, 1725, a party of New Hampshire volun¬ 
teers, while hunting for Indians, discovered a party of ten 
encamped for the night around a fire. Advancing cau¬ 
tiously at midnight, the enemy were found asleep and the 
whole number shot. They were marching from Canada 
well furnished with^new guns and ammunition, and a 
number of spare blankets, moccasins, and snowshoes, for 
the accommodation of the prisoners they expected to take, 
and were within two miles of the frontier. The party 
entered Dover in triumph, with the ten scalps stretched on 
hoops and elevated on poles; they received a bounty of 
£100 for each scalp, at Boston, out of the public treasury. 

36. What is the history of the “ Orloff Diamond ” ? 

This precious stone, purchased for the Empress Catharine 
II. of Bussia (died November 7, 1796), is about the size of 
a pigeon’s egg, and weighs 195 carats. It is said to have 
formed the eye of a famous idol in a temple of Brahma at 
Pondicherry. A French deserter robbed the pagoda of this 


14 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


valuable stone. After passing through the hands of various 
purchasers, it came into the possession of a Greek mer¬ 
chant, who received for it from the Empress $450,000, an 
annuity of $20,000, and a title of nobility. 

Another story is that it belonged to Nadir Shah of Persia, 
and, after his murder, came into the possession of an Arme¬ 
nian merchant who brought it to Amsterdam; afterwards it 
was sold, in 1772, to Count Orloff for the Empress Catherine. 

37. What period of American history was called the 
i( era of good feeling ” ? 

During the administration of President Monroe and more 
especially while serving his first term from 1S17 to 1S21. 
The phrase was also “common parlance” in 1875-76. 

38. What Queen of England twice set a price on the 
head of her brother ? 

“Good” Queen Anne (1664-1714). Her brother was 
known as James, the Chevalier St. George. 

39. Do fishes sing ? 

Naturalists have generally accepted Cuvier’s view, that 
the existence of fishes is a silent, emotionless, and joyless 
one, but recent observations tend to show that many fishes, 
emit vocal sounds. 

40. What fishes build nests ? 

The Sticklebacks. The species of stickleback are all 
natives of fresh water with one or two exceptions. They 
are found in the Ottawa Piver, while the marine species have 
lately been discovered among the weeds of the Saragasso 
Sea. 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY, 


15 


41. Where are climbing fishes found ? 

The Anabas scandens , the climbing perch of India, quits 
the water and wanders over banks, for a considerable 
distance, and is said even to climb trees and bushes. 

42. Where may be seen the strange spectacle of fish 
and shell-fish dwelling high on lofty trees ? 

At Tranquebar, Hindoostan, where the perch climbs up 
tall fan-palms, in pursuit of certain shell-fish which forms 
its favorite food. Covered with viscid slime, he glides 
smoothly over the rough bark; spines, which he may 
sheathe and unfold at will, serve him like hands to hang by, 
and with the aid of side fins and a powerful tail he pushes 
himself upward. 

43. What famous sword was captured by John 
Brown ? 

/ 

The one presented by the renowned Frederick the Great 
(born 1712) just^previous to his death August 17, 1786, to 
George Washington (1732-1799), on the golden scabbard of 
which was the following inscription: u Ab duce maxima 
natu in Enropa ad maximum ducem in orbe terrarum ” —• 
“ From the oldest general in Europe to the greatest general 
in the world.” This sword was taken from the arsenal at 
Harper’s Ferry in 1859, but is now in the possession of the 
Washington Family. 

44. What were the sayings of the Seven Wise 
Men ? 

These seven famous mottoes were inscribed in the temple 
of Apollo at Delphi. Solon of Athens — “ Know thyself .” 
Chilo of Sparta — “ Consider the end” Thales of Miletus — 


16 


quizzism; and its key. 


u Suretyship is the precursor of ruin.” Bias of Priene — 
u Most men are bad.” Cleobulus of Lindus — “ Avoid 
excess.” Pittacus of Mitylene — u Know thy opportunity” — 
Periander of Corinth — “ Nothing is impossible to industry.” 
But there are many variations of these proverbial expres¬ 
sions, as the ancients do not agree in their accounts of these 
sages (who lived five and six hundred years before Christ), 
their lives, or their sayings. Those given above have the. 
best authority. 

45. What is meant by the “ Golden Number ” ? 

The cycle of nineteen years, or the number which shows 
the years of the moon’s cycle; its invention is ascribed to 
Meton of Athens, about 432 b. c. To find the golden 
number or year of the lunar cycle, add one to the date and 
divide by nineteen, then the quotient is the number of 
cycles since the Christian era and the remainder is the 
golden number. The golden number for 1S83 is 3. 

46. What people have only 355 days for a year ? 

The Mohammedans. The Era of the Hegira dates from 
the flight of Mohammed,-on the night of Thursday, the loth 
of July, 622. The era commences on the 16th. With them 
the year 1300 begins November 12, 1882. 

47. When was the “Wandering Jew” last seen? 

January 1, 1644, Michob Ader,^ calling himself the Wan¬ 
dering Jew, appeared at Paris, where he created an 
extraordinary sensation among all ranks. He pretended to 
have lived sixteen hundred years, and that he had travelled 
through all regions of the world. He was visited by the 
literati of the city, and no one could accost him in a language 
of which he was ignorant. He was also familiar with the 


QtTlZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


i7 


history of persons and events from the time of Christ, so 
that he was never confounded by any amount of cross¬ 
questioning, but replied readily and without embarrassment. 
Of course he claimed an acquaintance with all the cele¬ 
brated characters of the previous sixteen centuries. He 
said of himself that he was usher of the Court of Judgment 
in Jerusalem, where all criminal cases were tried at the time 
of our Saviour; that his name was Michob Ader; and that 
for thrusting Jesus out of the hall with these words: “ Go, 
why tarriest thou?” the Messiah answered him : u I go, but 
tarry thou till I come”; thereby condemning him to live 
till the day of judgment. The learned looked upon him as 
an impostor or a madman, yet took their departure bewil¬ 
dered and astonished. 

48. Who were the “ Seven Sleepers ” ? 

Seven noble youths of Ephesus, who fled, in the Decian 
persecution, to a ^ave, and were walled in. They fell asleep 
for two centuries, when their bodies were found and taken 
to Marseilles in a large stone coffin, still shown in Victor's 
Church. Their names are Constantine, Dionysius, John, 
Maximian, Malchus, Martinian, and Serapion. This fable 
took its rise from a misapprehension of the words, “They 
fell asleep in the Lord,” — that is, died. 

49. What are u cuttle-fish ” bones ? 

The substance is not a “bone,” nor derived from a true 
“fish.” It is simpty the rudimentary shell of a mollusk. 
The cuttle-fish of our own shores is a harmless animal, only 
ten or twelve inches long; but the one frequenting the 
African seas attains a formidable size. This is the u devil¬ 
fish” so graphically described by Victor Hugo. (Born at 
Besangon, France, 1802.) 


18 


QTJIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


50. Who was King Cophetua ? 

An imaginary African monarch, of whom the legendary 
ballads told that he fell in love Avith a beggar-maid, and 
married her. The song is extant in Percy’s Beliques , and 
is several times alluded to by Shakespeare (1564-1616) and 
others. A modernized version of the story is given by 
Tennyson in his poem entitled The Beggar-Maid. 

51. What is a frequent quotation from the Travels 
of Gulliver? 

“Whoever could make two ears of corn or two blades of 
grass grow upon a spot of ground where only one greAV 
before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more 
essential service to his country, than the whole race of 
politicians put together.” Strange to say, this truism has 
been popularly attributed to Lord Palmerston, who lived a 
century and a half after Swift [Jonathan] — (1667-1745). 

52. Which mountains are the neAvest ? 

The highest ones. This is easily understood when we 
remember that all mountains and mountain chains are the 
result of upheavals, and that the violence of the outbreak 
must have been in proportion to the strength of the resist¬ 
ance. When the crust of the earth was so thin that the 
heated masses within easily broke through it, they were not 
thrown to so great a height, and formed comparatively low 
elevations, such as the Canadian Hills or the mountains of 
Bretagne and Wales. But in later times, when young, 
vigorous giants, such as the Alps, the Himalayas, or, later 
still, the Pocky Mountains, forced their way out from their 
fiery prison-house, the crust of the earth was much thicker, 
and fearful indeed must have been the convulsions which 
attended their exit. 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


19 


53. Who was Blue-beard ? 

} 

The hero of a well-known story of the same name, 
originally written in French by Charles Perrault. It is 
said that the original Blue-beard was Giles de Laval, Lord 
of Raiz, who was made Marshal of France in 1429. He was. 
distinguished for his military genius and intrepidity, and 
was possessed of princely revenues, but rendered himself 
infamous by the murder of his wives, and his extraordinary 
impiety and debaucheries. At length, for some state crime 
against the Duke of Brittany, he was sentenced to be burned 
alive in a field at Nantes, in 1440. Bluebeard is also the 
name by which King Henry VIII. lives in the popular super¬ 
stitions of England. 

54. Who was the British spy detected in carrying a 
message to General Burgoyne in a hollow silver bullet ? 

Major Daniel Taylor of the English army. The note 
read as follows: — 

Fort Montgomery, October 8, 1777. 

“ Nous y voici ” [we come] and nothing now between us and Gates. 

I sincerely hope this little success of ours may facilitate your opera¬ 
tions. In answer to your letter of September 28, by C. C.,* I shall only 
say, I can not presume to order, or even advise, for reasons obvious. I 
heartily wish you success. Faithfully yours, 

H. Clinton. 

General Burgoyne. 

A transcript of this note in the handwriting of Governor 
Clinton is among the manuscripts of General Gates in the 
library of the New York Historical Society, No. 170 Second 
Avenue, New York City. The identical bullet, — a curi¬ 
ously wrought hollow sphere, fastened together in the 
centre by a compound screw, — presented to the Society by 
General Tallmadge, was lost through the carelessness of the 
* Captain Campbell. 


20 


QUIZZISM; AHD ITS KEY. 


secretary. At Hurley, a few miles from Kingston, New 
York, the spy was tried, condemned, and hanged upon an 
apple-tree near the old church, while the village of Esopus 
was in flames, lighted by the marauding enemy. 

55. What is the most noted 11 dinner-party ” on 
record ? 

That of twenty-one scientific men, who, at the invita¬ 
tion of Dr. Hawkins, once took dinner within the restored 
body of the iguanodon. On that occasion Dr. Owen, the 
celebrated geologist, sat in the head for brains. 

56. The waters of what river can he detected three 
hundred miles at sea ? 

The Amazon, which is so charged with sediment that its 
waters can readily be detected by their discoloration this 
distance from its mouth. 

57. Where is the “ Devil’s Pulpit ” ? 

At Bedford, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. A 
channel, which has been cut in the solid rock, is seventy or 
eighty feet deep, and from twenty to thirty wide. At the 
head of the channel there is a large pool of water. In 
other parts, the bottom is filled with rubbish through 
which, in one place, a pole may be passed down twenty or 
thirty feet. 

58. How old are Niagara Palls ? 

Niagara River has cut a channel through the solid rocks, 
two hundred feet deep, twelve hundred to two thousand 
feet wide, and seven miles long. The evidence is conclusive 
that the Falls were formerly at Queenstown, seven miles 


QtTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


21 


below their present situation. It has been shown that 
they have not receded more than one foot a year for the 
last half century. If this has been the rate of retrocession 
for the whole distance, — and on account of the nature of 
the rocks there is no reason for supposing it greater,— 
it has required thirty-six thousand years for that great 
excavation. 

59. Who were the only two of the children of Israel 
that reached the Land of Canaan ? 

“Joshua, the son of Nun; 

Caleb, the son of Jephunneh; 

Were the only two 

Who ever got through 

To the land of milk and honey.” 

60. What was thViirSt commercial transaction ? 

Abraham's purchase of the Cave of Machpelali for four 

hundred shekels. 

61. When did a pine log cause the surrender of a 
British force ? 

At Rugeley’s Mill, in Kershaw County, Soutli Carolina, 
the Tory commander, Colonel Eugeley, had assembled a 
considerable force, and fortified his log-barn and dwelling- 
house. In the latter part of June, 1780, Colonel Washing¬ 
ton, who, by order of General Morgan, had pursued him 
with his cavalry, arrived, and having no artillery resorted 
to an ingenious stratagem to capture the post without 
sacrificing his own men. Accordingly he mounted a pine 
lo(j , fashioned as a cannon, elevated on its own limbs, and 
placed it in position to command the houses in which the 
Tories were lodged. Colonel Washington then made a 


22 QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 

formal demand for immediate surrender. Colonel Rugeley 
fearing the destructive consequences of the formidable 
cannon bearing upon his command in the log-barn and 
dwelling-house, after a stipulation as to terms, promptly 
surrendered his whole force, consisting of one hundred and 
twelve men, without a gun being fired on either side. 

62. What were the “ Mecklenberg Resolutions v ? 

A Declaration of Independence passed by the convention 
assembled in Charlotte, May 19 and 20, 1775, by which the 
citizens of Mecklenberg County, North Carolina, dissolved 
the political bands which had connected them to the mother 
country. The resolutions were read from the steps of the 
old Court House, on May 20, by Colonel Thomas Polk, 
and delivered into the hands of the North Carolina Delega¬ 
tion at Philadelphia by Captain James Jack, who made 
the journey on horseback. 

63. What was the assumed name of Benedict Arnold ? 

In his correspondence with Clinton and Andre, he wrote 
in a disguised hand, clothing his meaning in the ambiguous 
style of a commercial correspondent, and affixed to his 
letters the signature of Gustavus. Andre signed his, John 
Anderson. 

64. What animal never sleeps ? 

Ants never sleep. Emerson mentions this as u a recently 
observed fact.” 

65. Who was born in Europe, died in Asia, and was 
buried in Africa ? 

Alexander the Great. (35G-Jan. 28, 323 b. c.) Sixty-four 
white mules, richly caparisoned with ornaments of gold and 


QUIZZISM ; A KB ITS KEY. 26 

bostly plumes, drew the immense car, with its throne and 
golden sarcophagus containing his remains, from the 
Euphrates to the Nile. No funeral pageant has ever 
Equaled that of this mighty conqueror, which, after two 
gears’ preparation, went this distance of a thousand miles. 

66. Wiiat is a Gofdian Knot ? 

A great difficulty. Gordius, a peasant, being chosen king 
of Phrygia, dedicated his wagon to Jupiter, and fastened 
the yoke to a beam so ingeniously that no one could untie 
it. Alexander the Great was told that “ whoever undid the 
knot would reign over the whole [East.” “ Well, then,” 
said the conqueror, “it is thus I perform the task ” ; and so 
saying, he cut the knot in twain with his sword. 330 B. C. 

67. What was the Hh^culpan Knot ? 

A snaky complication on the rod or caduceus of Mercury, 
adopted by the Grecian brides as the fastening of their 
woolen girdles, which only the bridegroom was allowed to 
untie when the bride retired for the night. 

68. What is the Cyprinodon ? 

The sightless fish which gropes in the dreary waters of 
the River Styx, in the Mammoth Cave, of Kentucky. Of 
what service would eyes be where absolute darkness reigns ! 
It is of a milk-white color. 

69. Why do sea-shells give a murmuring noise when 
held to the ear ? 

The usual explanation of the “roar of the sea” in shells 
is that the form of the shell and its polished surface collect 
and reflect sounds in the air, otherwise imperceptible. 
Another theory refers the murmur to the circulation of the 


24 


QtJIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


blood through the capillaries of the fingers holding the 
shell, by which the vibrations are magnified. A feeble 
murmur can be heard, however, when the shell rests on a 
table, and it is probable that both causes are concerned in 
the phenomenon. The cone of the Southern pine presents 
to fancy's ear the lamenting moan of “the imprisoned spirits 
of all the winds that blow.” 

70. Who was the first proposer of Secession in the 
United States Congress? 

Josiah Quincy, of Massachusetts, in 1811, said, in the 
United States Congress, that, if Louisiana were admitted into 
the Union, u it will be the right of all and the duty of some 
[of the States] definitely to prepare for a separation; 
amicably, if they can, violently, if they must.” Mr. Poin¬ 
dexter. of Mississippi, called him to order, as did the 
Speaker of the House; but, on appeal, the Speaker’s decision 
was reversed, and Mr. Quincy sustained by a vote of fifty- 
three ayes to fifty-six noes, on the point of order. 

71. What is the origin of the term “ Yankee” ? 

The word Yankee is believed to have been derived from 
the manner in which the Indians endeavored to pronounce 
the word English , which they rendered Yenghees , whence 
the word Yankee. The statement in Irving’s Knickerbock¬ 
er''s History of New York , concerning the tribe of Yankoos , 
is a mere joke. The word Yankee undoubtedly had the 
Yenghees origin referred to above, but it does not seem to 
have been very common until the time of the Revolutionary 
War. It is not seen in any writings previous to that time; 
and in letters in which the word occurs, written in 1775, 
it is referred to in a manner which shows that the writer 
considered it something new, and intended to be contempt- 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


25 


uous, used as it was by their then enemies, the British 
soldiers. In a curious book on the Bound Towers of Ireland, 
the origin of the term Yankee-doodle was traced to the 
Persian phrase, u Yanki dooniah,” or u Inhabitants of the 
New World.” Layard, in his book on Nineveh and its 
Remains, also mentions 1,4 Yanghidunia ” as the Persian name 
of America. 

72. What animal was a curious intermediate link 
between birds and reptiles ? 

The Ramphorhyncus, the remains of which have been 
found in the quarries of Solenhofen, Germany. Its tail, 
a singular appendage, was long, reptile-like, and dragged 
upon the ground, while its footprints were bird-like, 



73. What was the highest price ever paid for any 
bird ? 

The fossil bird of Solenhofen, the Ramphorhyncus 
(usually called the Archaeopteryx), was sold to Dr. Folger 
for the Museum of the 44 Freie Deutsche Hochstift” for 
$9,000. This bird lived fully fifty million years ago. 

74. What people believed an elephant stood upon a 
huge tortoise and upheld the earth ? 

The Hindoos. 

75. What is meant by 44 giving the lie ” ? 

The great affront of 44 giving the lie ” arose from the 
phrase k4 Thou liest,” in the oath taken by the defendant in 
judicial combats before engaging, when charged with any 
crime by the plaintiff; and Francis I. of France (1494-1547), 


26 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


to make current his giving the lie to the Emperor Charles 
Y. (died 1558), in 1521, first stamped it with infamy by 
saying, in a solemn assembly, that “ he was no honest man 
that would bear the lie.” 

76. What are Chronograms ? 

A species of false wit. A medal that was struck of 
Gustavus Adolphus had the motto: — 

“ ChristVs DvX; ergo trIVMphVs” ; that is, u Christus 
dux ergo triumphus.” Pick the figures out of the 
several words, and arrange them in their proper order. 
They are MDCXVVVII, or 1627: the year in which the 
medal was stamped. Two Ys are used for X, or XVY 
equals XX. The banks of the Rhine furnish abundant 
examples of this literary pleasantry; chronograms are as 
thick as blackberries. 

77. What is the meaning of “ brown study ” ? 

A corruption of brow-study; brow being derived from 
the old German, “ braun,” in its compound form “ aug- 
braun,” an eye-brow. 

78. What is “ Pele’s hair ” ? 

As the lava from volcanoes is thrown into tfc&SKiir, the 
wind often spins it into fine threads of great length. Large 
quantities of this are found at Kilauea, Hawaii, Sandwich 
Islands, where it is called by this name. 

79. Where was Resina ? 

It was a town that had been built over Herculaneum and 
was destroyed by an eruption from Vesuvius in 1631. 
Herculaneum, Pompeii, and Stabiae were buried from 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


27 


human view by the first recorded eruption of Vesuvius, 
which took place in the year 79. The former city, which 
was buried to the depth of about one hundred feet, was 
discovered in 1713 by some workmen engaged in sinking 
a well, who were arrested in their progress by striking upon 
the theatre. Pompeii, although covered above the houses 
less than twenty feet deep, was not discovered till 1750. It 
was at Stabiae, after having just left the villa of his friend 
Pomponianus, that the elder Pliny fell a victim to his ardent 
curiosity and thirst for knowledge. 

80. tVho told Caesar to “beware of the ides of 
March ” ? 

Spurinna, an astrologer. As Caesar went to the senate- 
house on the morning of the ides, the 15th (44 b. C.), he 
said to Spurinna: u The mes-Are at last come.” “Yes,” 
replied the astrologer, “but not yet past.” Caesar was 
assassinated a short time after. Calphurnia, the wife of 
Caesar, also begged her husband to remain at home during 
the day. 

81. What is the meaning of Manhattan ? 

John Verrazanni, an eminent Florentine navigator, in 
1524, landed where the lower extremity of New York City 
is, and giving the natives some spirituous liquors made 
many of them drunk. The Indians called the place 
Manna-ha-ta , or “ place of drunkenness,” and they were 
afterwards called Manna-ha-tans. 

82. What was the name of Henry Hudson’s vessel ? 

The Half-Moon, a yacht of eighty tons. Hudson, while 
on another voyage in search of a northwest passage, dis¬ 
covered the great Bay in the northern regions which bears 


28 


quizzism; and its key. 


his name. He was there frozen in the ice during the winter 
of 1610-11. While endeavoring to make his way homeward 
in the spring, his crew became mutinous. They finally 
seized Hudson, bound his arms, and placing him, his son, 
and seven sick companions in an open boat, without oars or 
food, set them adrift upon the cold waters. Two ships were 
afterwards sent from England to make search for him, but 
no tidings of the bold navigator could ever be gained. His 
dreadful fate can only be imagined. 

83. What is meant by the “ Song of the Sirens ” ? 

The Sirens were two maidens celebrated in fable, who 
occupied an island of Ocean (Mediterranean Sea), where 
they sat in a mead close to the seashore, and with their 
melodious voices so charmed those that were sailing by, 
that they forgot home and everything relating to it, and 
abode with these maidens till they perished from the 
impossibility of taking nourishment, and their bones lay 
whitening on the strand. 

84. How did Ulysses escape from the Sirens ? 

As he and his companions were on their homeward voy¬ 
age from iEaea, they came, first to the island of the Sirens. 
They passed this in safety, for, by the direction of Circe, 
Ulysses stopped the ears of his companions with wax, and 
had himself tied to the mast, so that, although, when he 
heard the song of the Sirens, he made signs to his compan¬ 
ions to unbind him, they only secured him the more closely; 
and thus he listened to the accents of the Sirens, and yet, 
notwithstanding, escaped. 

85. Why has the northern boundary of Delaware a 
circular form ? 


QU1ZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


29 


After William Penn (1644-1718) had obtained a grant of 
Pennsylvania, being desirous of owning the land on the 
west bank of the Delaware to the sea, he procured from the 
Duke of York, in 1682, a release of all his title and claim to 
New Castle and twelve miles around it, and to the land 
between this tract and the sea. A line that was the arc of 
a circle of a twelve miles radius was then run from New 
Castle as a centre. When the “ three lower counties on the 
Delaware ” became a State, they retained this boundary. 

86. What bet was lost by Queen Elizabeth ? 

In the wager between her and Sir Walter Paleigh (1552- 
1618), the latter assured her that he could tell the exact 
weight of smoke in any Wantity of tobacco consumed, a 
fact which the incredulousQueen doubted. Weighing his 
tobacco, Raleigh smoked it, and then carefully weighing 
the ashes, stated the difference. Elizabeth (1533-1603) 
remarked, while paying the bet, that she “ had before heard 
of turning gold to smoke, but he was the first who had 
turned smoke into gold.” 

87. Can we stop, while living, the movements of the 
heart ? 

The will can not check the heart, though a notable excep¬ 
tion to this is the case of Colonel Townsend, of Dublin^ 
who, after having succeeded several times in stopping the 
pulsation, at last lost his life in the act. 

88. Why is salt used in freezing ice-cream ? On 
the contrary, it is used in thawing out a pump. 

The melting of salt and ice requires from some source 
what used to be called the “ 140 degrees of caloric of 


BO 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


fluidity.” When solids become liquid they must have the 
heat necessary for the liquid condition, and in freezing ice¬ 
cream they get it from the cream, which is cooled down to 
the congelation point. Affinity of salt for ice promotes 
that action. It does the same in the pump, but the salt 
water resulting does not congeal at the coldest point pro¬ 
duced by the melting, and hence may be pumped out from 
the “thawed pump.” 

89. Where is Titan’s Pier ? 

It is the columnar structure of greenstone of Mt. Holyoke 
in Massachusetts, where it slopes beneath the waters of the 
Connecticut. 

90. Where is the u poor man’s region ” ? 

In the Pine Barrens of the Southern States, a belt of 
country more than seventeen hundred miles long, and often 
one hundred and seventy miles broad, stretching from 
Richmond, Virginia, along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, to 
beyond the western line of Louisiana. The soil is sandy, 
and the principal tree is the long-leaf pine. These forests, 
while affording a valuable article of lumber, also yield 
pitch, tar, and turpentine. 

91. What are u Rock cities ” ? 

The beginning of that period of time known in geology 
as the carboniferous , commenced by the formation of a 
conglomerate sandstone, the Millstone Grit, whose ledges 
often separated into huge blocks. Where a portion has been 
swept away during subsequent geologic changes, the 
remains present a striking resemblance to the streets and 
blocks of a ruined city. Several of these formations are 
situated in southwestern New York. 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


31 


92. How was Pocahontas captured ? 

Through the contrivance of an Indian named Japazaws 
(an old friend of Captain John Smith) in 1G13, to whom 
Captain Argali gave a copper kettle for his treachery in 
persuading Pocahontas on board Argali’s ship in the 
Potomac river. 

93. By what three princesses was Captain John 
Smith’s life saved ? 

By Tragabigzanda, the lady of Turkish harem; Calla- 
mata, the lady of Hungary, and Pocahontas (1595-1616;, 
the young daughter of the VIndian chief Powhatan, who 
threw herself between him andrner father’s anger. 

94. What are “coprolites ” ? 

The fossil excrements of the Ichthyosaurus, which, when 
polished (for they are as hard as marble), are sold as 
jewelry under the name of “beetle-stones.” 

95. Where are the Falls of Tequendama ? 

Near Bogota, United States of Colombia, South America, 
where the river Bogota rushes through a cleft thirty-six 
feet wide, and falls about six hundred feet into a rocky 
chasm. Near these is the natural bridge of Icononzo , 
which is more than three hundred feet high. 

96. What city is built on an island of the same 
name ? 

Cayenne, in French Guiana, South America. It is noted 
for its exports of pungent red pepper, — not true pepper, 
but a kind of capsicum; that is, a plant producing fruit in 
the form of pods, or capsules, containing berries. 


32 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


97. What is the capital of Finland ? 

Helsingfors, the approach to which is commanded by the 
batteries of Sveaborg, built on seven islands. 

98. What are the “ Seven Senses ” ? 

According to very ancient teaching, the soul of man, 
or his “ inward holy body,” is compounded of the seven 
properties which are under the influence of the planets. 
From these are derived the seven senses which are anima¬ 
tion, feeling , speech , taste , sight, hearing , and smelling. 

99. How did the “ Jews-harp ” get its name ? 

It is said by several authors to derive its name from the 
nation of the Jews, and is commonly believed to be one of 
their instruments of music. But no such musical instru¬ 
ment is spoken of by any of the old authors that treat of 
the Jewish music. Its present orthography is nothing 
more than a corruption of the French Jeu-trompe, literally, 
a toy trumpet. It is called Jeu-trompe by Bacon (1561- 
1G26), Jew-trump by Beaumont (1586-1615) and Fletcher 
(1576-1625), and Jews-harp by Hackluyt (1553-1616). An¬ 
other etymon for Jews-harp is Jaws-harp , because the place 
where it is played upon is between the jaws. 

100. Who was the “ Scottish Solomon ” ? 

James VI., afterwards James I. (died 1625), of England. 
In connection with him there is a curious story of one Geilles 
Duncan (a servant-girl), a noted performer on the “Jews- 
harp,” whose performances seem not only to have met with 
the approval of a numerous audience of withes (plebeians, 
peasants, and laborers), but to have been repeated in the 
presence of King James by command of that royal per¬ 
sonage. 


QTJIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


83 


101. What quotation frequently attributed to 
Shakespeare really belongs to Gray ? 

The lines: — 

“ Where ignorance is bliss 
’Tis folly to he wise,” 

found in the tenth stanza of On a distant prospect of Eton 
College. 


102. What is a Cento ? 


In poetry it is a work wholly composed of verses or 
passages taken from other authors and disposed in a new 
form or order, so as to compose a new work and a new 
meaning. 


’Twas in the prime^jof summer time, 
She blessed me with her hand; 

We strayed together, deeply blest, 
Into the Dreaming Land. 


Hood. 
Hoyt. 
Mrs. Edwards. 
Cornwall. 


103. Who was u the celebrated huntsman ” ? 

John Butler, who died in Wake County, North Carolina, 
January 19, 1836. He was supposed to be at least one hun¬ 
dred and ten years old, and left a wife surviving, equally as 
old. 


104. What was Napoleon’s celebrated remark ? 

It was what the French term a bon mot ; that is, a 
good word or saying, and was: “ From the sublime to the 
ridiculous there is but a step.” 

But he borrowed it from Tom Paine (1736-1809), whose 
writings were translated into French as early as 1791; 
Tom Paine borrowed it from Hugh Blair (1718-1800), and 
he took it from Longinus. The same idea is suggested in 
the old French proverb, “Extremes touch,” and the Eng- 


34 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


lish adage, “ The darkest hour is nearest the dawn.” 
Similar expressions may be found in the writings of 
Rochester, Butler (1612-1680), Dryden (1631-1700), and 
Pope (1688-1744). The sentiment owes nothing to Napoleon 
(1769-1821) but the sanction of his great name, and the 
pithy sentence in which he has embodied it. 

105. Who was the mother of three kings, one 
emperor, and one queen ? 

Marie Letitia Bonaparte, born at Ajaccio, 1750. Her 
maiden name was Romolini, and she was considered one of 
the most beautiful women of Corsica. She married, in the 
midst of civil discord, Charles Bonaparte, an officer who 
fought with Paoli; was left a widow in 1785, having borne 
thirteen children, of whom five sons and three daughters 
survived their father, and became celebrated. Died Feb¬ 
ruary 3, 1836. 

106. What remarkable acrostic has been formed from 
the names of the Napoleonic dynasty ? 

N apoleon, Emperor of the French; 

I oseph, King of Spain; 

H ieronymus, King of Westphalia (Jerome); 

I oachim. King of Naples (Murat); 

L ouis, King of Holland. 

Forming the Latin word nihil, meaning “nothing” or 
“ extinct.” 

107. When did Lord Cornwallis have his horse killed 
under him ? 

On February 1, 1781, when he passed the Catawba at 
M’Cowan's Ford. His passage was disputed by William 
Davidson, Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the North 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


85 


Carolina line, and Brigadier-General of Militia, with three 
hundred men. Davidson was overpowered, and killed by 
a ball in the breast. 

108. What were the u burning spears ” ? 

A phenomenon observed in London, January 30, 1560, 
being one of the earliest records of that appearance now 
well known by the name of aurora borealis (northern lights ). 

109. When was the first Thanksgiving ? 

February 22, 1630, in Massachusetts. The day had been 
appointed for a general fast. No ship had arrived in a great 
length of time, and their ^tock of provisions was nearly 
exhausted. At this criticaLmbment, a vessel arrived from 
England, laden with provisions; and they immediately 
changed the day of public fasting into one of public feasting. 

110. Why is mercury called “ quicksilver ” ? 

It is related that the mines of mercury in Mexico were 
discovered by a hunter, who, as he clambered up a moun¬ 
tain, caught hold of a shrub, which, giving way at the root, 
let out a stream of what he supposed was liquid silver. The 
rapidity with which this metal runs, occasioned by its great 
weight, gave to it the name of quicksilver. 

111. When was the most destructive earthquake ? 

The most dreadful one on record is that which, Novem¬ 
ber 1,1755, destroyed the city of Lisbon, Portugal. The only 
warning the inhabitants received was a noise like sub¬ 
terranean thunder which, without any considerable interval, 
was followed by a succession of shocks which laid in ruins 
almost every building in the city, with a most incredible 


86 


quizzism; and its key. 


slaughter of the inhabitants (60,000). The bed of the river 
Tagus was in many places raised to the surface, and vessels 
on the river suddenly found themselves aground. The 
waters of the river and the sea at first retreated, and then 
immediately rolled violently in upon the land, forming 
a wave over forty feet in elevation. To complete the 
destruction, a large quay, upon which great numbers of 
people had assembled for security, suddenly sank to such 
an unfathomable depth that not one body ever afterwards 
appeared at the surface. 

112. Where is the “ Valley of the Upas Tree”? 

In Java. It is sometimes called the “Valley of Death,” 
and its deadly influence was formerly ascribed to the 
malignant properties of a peculiar vegetable production of 
the island, called the u upas tree,” which especially flour¬ 
ishes in this locality. Recent travellers, however, declare 
that accounts of the fatality attending a passage of this 
famous valley have been greatly exaggerated. 

113. Where is there a river of acid water ? 

In Java there is a crater containing a lake strongly 
impregnated with sulphuric acid, a quarter of a mile long, 
from which a river of acid water issues, which supports no 
living creature, nor can fish live in the sea near its con¬ 
fluence. 

Among the wonders of nature in Algeria there is a river 
of genuine ink. It is formed by the junction of two streams, 
one flowing from a region of ferruginous soil, and the other 
draining a peat swamp. The waters of the former are, of 
course, strongly impregnated with iron; those of the latter 
with gallic acid. On meeting, the acid of the one stream 
unites with the iron of the other, and a true ink is the result. 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


37 


The banks of the united stream would he, of all places in the 
world, the one for a colony of authors. Fields of esparto 
grass, for paper-making, might be sown in the neighborhood; 
the paper mills might be turned by the inky flood, and geese 
might be reared to supply quill pens. The members of the 
republic of letters would there do nothing all day long but 
sit dangling their feet in the water, and occasionally dipping 
in their pens, — a peaceable crew, except, perhaps, when 
they would plague each other by reading long extracts from 
their unpublished works. 

114. Why is Egypt called the u Gift of the Nile 99 ? 

Because there is very good evid^pcejthat nearly all that 

country has been formed from the sediment brought down 
by that river. The vast delta that the Nile has formed at 
its mouth is larger than the State of Vermont. 

115. Where is Pulpit Pock ? 

At Nahant, Massachusetts. By the erosive action of the 
waves continually dashing against it year after yeai:, the 
rock has been worn into the semblance of a pulpit. 

116. What are u pot-holes 99 ? 

Deep wells, which are everywhere common along rapid 
brooks and rivers. Fine examples may be seen at Bellows 
Falls, Vermont, on the Connecticut, and at Amoskeag Falls 
on the Merrimac, and in the Big Sandy and Ohio. 

117. How were Herculaneum and Pompeii destroyed ? 

Not by lava flowing from Vesuvius, but by other volcanic 
products, such as sand, ashes, cinders, and fragments of 
rock, though Herculaneum has subsequently been repeat¬ 
edly overflowed with lava. 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 



118. Are minerals solid ? 

Not necessarily. The three divisions of matter are 
vegetable, animal, and mineral. Then water and gases are 
minerals, though in the popular sense of mineral (metal), 
mercury is called the u liquid mineral.” 

119. What are the “ Devil’s Arrows ” ? 

Three monstrous pillars in the North of England, erected 
by the Druids. The rain beating upon them for two thou¬ 
sand years has deeply furrowed their sides, the furrows 
being deepest at their summits, and becoming wider and less 
distinct toward the bottom. 

120. What is the origin of the expression 11 Knocked 
as high as Gilderoy’s kite ” ? 

There was a robber of the name who robbed Cardinal 
Richelieu, and one who robbed Oliver Cromwell, and another 
equally famous who lived during the reign of Queen Mary. 

Great offenders were hung u high.” Montrose was sen¬ 
tenced to hang on a gallows thirty feet high, as old Haman 
was raised to the height of about seventy-five feet. It is 
clear from old Scotch proverbs that kite or kyte meant • 
u abdomen,” and hence “body.” Fide Webster’s Diction¬ 
ary. In Jameson’s Scottish Dictionary , u kytie ” means cor¬ 
pulent or having much body. Gilderoy’s kite was Gilderoy’s 
body , and “ higher than Gilderoy’s kite” was a saying for 
a greater eminence than Gilderoy “ enjoyed ” at the time of 
his exit from scenes terrestrial. The idea of a paper kite, or 
a bird of prey , is ridiculous as pertaining to Gilderoy. * 

121. How did the Ell English derive its name ? 

Ell properly means an arm; elbow , the bow or bend of 
the arm. The name was derived from the length of the 
king’s (Henry I. of England) arm, in 1101. 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


39 


122. Where is u Old Donation ” ? 


In the county of Princess Anne, Virginia, near the 
Lynnhaven river is situated a colonial church known as the 
‘•Old Donation.” It is fast falling to ruins; a modern 
structure, erected a few miles off, has superseded this 
hallowed fane, and it now stands, away from the public 
road, in lonely desolation, forsaken by all save those whose 
kindred sleep in the shadow of its walls; or the curious 
traveller occasionally seen lingering among its tombs, or 
waking, by his solitary footfall, the echoes of its deserted 
aisles. 


123. When was the Grasshopper War ? 


It occurred about the time the Pilgrims came to New 
England in the Mayflower (1620), between two Indian 
tribes, and arose in this way: An Indian woman, with her 
little son, went to visit a friend belonging to another tribe. 
The little boy caught a large grasshopper on the road and 
carried it with him. A boy from the other tribe wanted it, 
but he would not surrender his prize. A quarrel ensued, 
which soon drew the fathers and mothers into the dispute, 
and before long the chiefs were engaged in a war which 
nearly exterminated one tribe. 


124. What was tlie name of the first ship built in 
America ? 

Adrian Block built the first ship at Manhattan Island in 
1613. She was called the Bestless. In her, he sailed through 
Long Island Sound and discovered Block Island. 


125. Who made the first American flag ? 

The flag of the United States, known as the u Stars and 
Stripes,” was formally adopted by resolution of Congress, 


40 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


passed June 14, 1777. A committee of Congress calling on 
a Mrs. Ross, who lived in a house No. 239 Arch Street, 
Philadelphia, asked her if she could make a flag according 
to a plan they would produce. Consenting, the design for 
a flag of thirteen red and white stripes, alternate, with 
a union, blue in the field, spangled with thirteen six-pointed 
stars, was sent to her. She suggested that the stars should 
be made with five points, to which the committee agreed. 
With the aid of the young women of her shop she com¬ 
pleted the flag so that it was ready for the approval of 
Congress the next day. 

126. What is an “ ossuary ” ? 

A place where the bones of the dead are deposited. An 
ossuary has been erected and inaugurated to the memory 
of the French, Italian, and Austrian soldiers who fell upon 
the battle-field of Montebello in 1859. The inaugural cere¬ 
mony was witnessed by more than twenty thousand persons. 


127. What General lost his life by his devotion to the 
game of chess ? 

On the day preceding the night on which General Wash¬ 
ington had determined to cross the Delaware (December 25, 
1776) and attack the British in Trenton, an Englishman in 
the neighborhood despatched his son with a note to General 
Rahl, to warn him of the approaching danger. The Gen¬ 
eral, being deeply absorbed in a game of chess when the note 
was presented, without withdrawing his attention from the 
game, thoughtlessly put the note into his vest pocket. 
After the battle next day, when the Hessian commander, 
mortally wounded, was brought into the house of Stacey 
Potts, the note was found unread in his pocket. 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


41 


128. Where are the Falls of Kartern ? 

In British Guiana; they have a “ plunge ” of seven hun¬ 
dred and forty-one feet, and are four hundred feet wide. 

129. What is an “ atmosphere ” ? 

A pressure of fifteen pounds to the square inch, or, to be 
more exact, fourteen and seven-tenths pounds. 

130. Why do soap-bubbles rise ? 

On account of the warm breath. 



131. Where is the Land of Mud ? 

This is the name given to British Guiana, South America, 
owing to its extensive alluvial formation. It is sixty times 
the size of Maryland. 

132. Who wrote u Maryland, my Maryland ” ? 

James R. Eandall. The song, consisting of nine verses, 

first appeared in The Southern Literary Messenger. 
Dr. G. W. Bagby, Editor, in January, 18G2. Published in 
Richmond, Virginia, by Macfarlane and Fergusson. This 
interesting magazine, few copies of which are still in exist¬ 
ence, was continued nearly up to the end of the war. 

133. What became of the two Spartans that did not 
fight at Thermopylae ? 

Returning home to Sparta (480 b. C.), they were met with 
jeers of derision and contempt. One of them, Panites , 
unable to stand the complete ostracism to which they were 
subjected, committed suicide; but the other, Aristodemus , 
remained passive, and under Pausanias, at the battle of 


42 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


Plataea (479 b. c.), redeemed his name by acts of the greatest 
bravery. They had been excused by Leonidas, on the plea 
of sore eyes, from remaining at the Pass with the immortal 
three hundred. Only 298 Spartans were slain. 

134. How did Xerxes count his vast army ? 

By enclosing them in pens. A square of soldiers, one 
hundred men deep, was first formed, and then stakes driven 
round them. The vast army, by detail, was marched in and 
out of this pen one hundred and eighty times, giving their 
commander an enumeration of his “host” amounting to 
one million, eight hundred thousand men. Authorities 
differ, however, regarding the number. The account of 
Herodotus is indefinite as to the whole force of Xerxes. 
By taking the sum of his reports, he seems to give of foot, 
1,700,000; horse, 80,000; with war chariots and camels, 20,- 
000; naval force, 517,610, making a grand total of 2,317,610 
men that passed to Doriscus; but reinforcements from 
Thracians, etc., swelled the number, as inferred from Herod¬ 
otus, to 2,041,610 fighting men, before he reached Thermop¬ 
ylae. The attendants, slaves, crews of provision-ships, etc., 
according to the supposition of Herodotus, exceeded the 
fighting men, and hence the number of male persons at the 
noted Pass is estimated from the data of this “Father of 
History,” by Dr. Smith and by Professor Felton, to be 
fully 5,283,220. 

135. When was the year of u great babies ” ? 

The year 1769, noted for the birth of Napoleon; Welling, 
ton; Francis Accum, chemist; Bessieres, due d’lstria, one 
of Napoleon’s best generals (died 1813) ; Bourrienne, secre. 
tary and biographer of Napoleon; Brunei, architect of first 
theatre in New York, and of the Thames Tunnel (died 1849); 


QTJIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


43 


Chateaubriand, author (died 1848) ; Governor De Witt Clin¬ 
ton, of New York (died 1828) ; Cuvier, naturalist (died 1832) ; 
Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, R. N. (died 1839) ; Alexander 
Von Humboldt, physicist (died 1860); Count Lavalette, 
state counsellor (died 1830); Judge Lowell, founder of 
Boston Athenaeum; Memed Ali, pasha of Egypt (died 1848) ; 
Marshal Ney; William Owen, naturalist (died 1825) ; Picard, 
French dramatist (died 1828) ; Marshal Soult; Lord Castle- 
reagli (died 1822); Tallien, French statesman. These are 
twenty of the best names selected from a list of noted men 
born in this year. 


136. What is the simplest pocket Voderl* 


The “ change ” you may have in your pocket, as the silver 
quarter measures three fourths of an inch in diameter; the 
half dollar one inch, and the “dollar of our daddies” one 
inch and a half. 


137. When did an eclipse of the moon cause the defeat 
of an army ? 

The Athenians were defeated at Syracuse in the year 413 
(August 27) B. C. Nicias, the commander, was preparing 
to withdraw his forces when the eclipse occurred, and con¬ 
sidering it an omen, he consulted the soothsayers, who said 
the army must wait three times nine days. This delay was 
the cause of their destruction. 

138. When was Adam horn ? 

By an Act of the English Parliament, October 23,4004 b.c. 
was declared the natal day of the earth. As Adam was 
created on the fifth day after, he must have been born 
October 28, 4004 b.c. 


44 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


139. What is the oldest republic in the world ? 

San Marino, in Italy, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It 
is, next to Monaco, the smallest State in Europe. The exact 
date of the establishment of this republic is not known, but 
according to tradition, it was in the fourth century, by 
Marinus, a Dalmatian hermit, and has ever since remained 
independent. It is mountainous, and contains four or five 
villages. The word liberty is inscribed on its capitol. 

140. Where is the key of the Bastile ? 

Hanging in the entrance hall of Mount Vernon is the key, 
sent to Washington by Lafayette soon after the destruction 
of that noted stronghold by the Paris mob, on July 14, 1789. 

141. When was the first naval battle ? 

That of Salamis, fought 480 b. c. In this battle the 
Halicarnassian queen, Artemesia, commanded a vessel and, 
pursued by a Greek ship, used her famous stratagem of 
attacking and sinking a vessel of the Carian prince (though 
probably by mistake). Xerxes thinking she had sunk a 
vessel of the Greeks, exclaimed: “My men are become 
women; my women, men!” There had been a few 
“skirmishes” of ships before, but the first naval battle 
proper was that of Salamis. 

142. Who was Eucles ? 

The “ runner ” from the plains of Marathon, who brought 
the news of the successful issue of that battle to the anxious 
Senate waiting at Athens, and crying, “ Xanrere ! x^o/iev ” 
(“.Rejoice! [for] we rejoice!”), fell dead at their feet. 

143. What is the oldest poem in existence ? 

The Song of Miriam. See Exodus xv. 21. “ And Miriam 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


45 


answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed 
gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the 
sea.” 

144. What was Bibliomancy ? 

Divination by the Bible, which became so common in the 
fifth century that several councils were obliged expressly 
to forbid it, as injurious to religion and savoring of 
idolatry. These “Sacred Lots” consisted in suddenly 
opening, or dipping into, the Bible, and regarding the pas¬ 
sage that first presented itself, to the eye as predicting 
the future lot of the inquirer. 

145. What is the origin of texts ? 

The custom of taking a text as the basis of a sermon 
originated with Ezra, who, we are told, accompanied by 
several Levites in a public congregation of men and 
women, ascended a pulpit, opened the book of the law, and 
after addressing a prayer to the Deity, to which the people 
said Amen, “ read in the book in the law of God distinctly, 
and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the 
reading.” (Neh. viii. 8.) 

146. What is the origin of the saying, u Mind your 
Ps and Qs ” ? 

In ale-houses, in the olden time, when chalk “scores” 
were marked upon the wall, or behind the door of the tap- 
room, it was customary to put the initials “P” and “Q” 
at the head of every man's account, to show the number of 
“pints” and “quarts” for which he was in arrears; and 
we may presume many a friendly rustic to have tapped his 
neighbor on the shoulder, when he was indulging too freely 
in his potations, and to have exclaimed, as he pointed to the 



46 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


chalk-score, u Mind your Ps and Qs, man! ” Other expla-= 
nations are given of the origin of this phrase, however; one 
writer supposing that it came from “Mind your toupees 
and your queues,” the “ toupee ” being the artificial locks 
of hair on the head, and the “ queue ” the pigtail of olden 
time. Charles Knight thinks it was derived from the school 
room or the printing-office, as the forms of the small “p” 
and “ q,” in the Roman type, have always been puzzling to 
the child and the printer’s apprentice from the fact that in 
one the downward stroke is on the left of the oval, and in 
the other on the right; this, then, is a literal signification. 

147. When were playing-cards invented ? 

About the year 1390, to divert Charles IV., then king of 
France, who had fallen into a melancholy mood. About 
this time is found in the account-book of the king's 
cofferer the following charge: “Paid for a pack of 
painted leaves bought for the king’s amusement, three 
livres.” 

148. Who is the author of — 

“ For he that fights and runs away 
May live to fight another day ” ? 

These lines used by Goldsmith (172S*-1744), generally 
supposed to form a part of Hudibras, are to be found in 
the Musarum Delicice , 1656 — a clever collection of “witty 
trifles,” by Sir John Mennis and Dr. James Smith. The 
passage, as it really stands in Hudibras (book iii, canto iii, 
verse 243), is as follows: — 

“ For those that fly may fight again, 

Which he can never do that’s slain.” 

An earlier authority may be found in the Apopthegmes of 
♦ Determined. 


QUIZZ1SM; AND ITS KEY, 


47 


Nicholas Udall, 1542. On folio 239, occurs the following: — 

“ That same man, that renneth awaie, 

Maie again fight, another daie.” 

A similar expression is found in much older writers. 
Menage observes, in speaking of Monsieur Perier’s abuse of 
Horace for running away from the battle of Philippi, 
“ Relicta non bene parmula,” u Mais je le pardonne, parce 
qu’il ne sait peut-etre pas que les Grecs ont dit en faveur 
des Faiars .” 

149. When did women vote ? 

Single women who were freeholders voted in the State 
of New Jersey as late as the year 1800.^In a newspaper of 
that date is a complimentary editorial Ito the female voters 
for having unanimously supported John Adams (the 
defeated candidate) for President of the United States, in 
opposition to Thomas Jefferson, who was denounced as 
wanting in religion. 

150. What was the origin of the expression, “sub 
rosa ” ? 

A great many explanations are given: — 

I. “The expression ‘under the rose’ took its origin,” 
says Jenoway, “ from the wars between the Houses of York 
and Lancaster. The parties respectively swore by the red 
or the white rose, and these opposite emblems were dis¬ 
played as the signs of two taverns ; one of which was by the 
side of, and the other opposite to, the Parliament House in 
Old Palace Yard, Westminster. Here the retainers and 
servants of the noblemen attached to the Duke of York 
and Henry VI. used to meet. Here, also, as disturbances 
were frequent, measures either of defence or annoyance 
were taken, and every transaction was said to be done 


48 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


‘ under the rose ’; by which expression the most profound 
secrecy was implied.” 

II. According to others, this term originated in the fable 
of Cupid giving the rose to Harpocrates, the god of silence, 
as a bribe to prevent him betraying the amours of Yenus, 
and was hence adopted as the emblem of silence. The rose 
was for this reason frequently sculptured on the ceilings of 
drinking and feasting rooms, as a warning to the guests that 
what was said in moments of conviviality should not be 
repeated; from which, what was intended to be kept secret 
was said to be held “ under the rose.” 

III. Roses were consecrated as presents from the Pope. 
In 1526 they were placed over the goals of confessionals as 
the symbols of secrecy. Hence the origin of the phrase 
“under the rose.” 

IV. The origin of the phrase under the rose implies 
secrecy, and had its origin during the year 477 B.C., at 
which time Pausanias, the commander of the confederate 
fleet of the Spartans and Athenians, was engaged in an 
intrigue with Xerxes for the subjugation of Greece to the 
Persian rule, and for the hand of the monarch’s daughter in 
marriage. Their negotiations were carried on in a building 
attached to the Temple of Minerva, called the Brazen House, 
the roof of which was a garden forming a bower of roses; 
so that the plot, which was conducted with the utmost 
secrecy, was literally matured under the rose. Pausanias, 
however, was betrayed by one of his emissaries, who, by a 
preconcerted plan with the ephori (the overseers and coun¬ 
sellors of state, five in number), gave them a secret oppor¬ 
tunity to hear from the lips of Pausanias himself the 
acknowledgment of his treason. To escape arrest, he fled 
to the Temple of Minerva, and, as the sanctity of the place 
forbade intrusion for violence or harm of any kind, the 
people walled up the edifice with stones, and left him to die 
of starvation. His own mother laid the first stone. 


QUIZZiSM; AKD ITS KEY. 


49 


It was customary among the ancient Germans, on occa¬ 
sions of festivity, to suspend a rose from the ceiling above 
the table, as a symbol that whatever was said during the 
feast by those present would be kept a secret among them¬ 
selves. 

151. When were umbrellas first used ? 

Thomas Coryat, in his Crudities , vol. i, p. 134, relates a 
curious notice of the early use of the umbrella in Italy. 
References are made to this useful article in English 
works of 1617 and 1674, but it was probably a curiosity as 
late as the middle of the eighteenth century. Its use 
is mentioned in Paris, in a letter written by General Wolfe 
from there, in 1752. The introduction of this article of 
general convenience is attributed to Jonas Hanway (died 
1786), the Eastern traveller, who, on his return to his native 
land, rendered himself justly celebrated by his practical 
benevolence. 

152. When was the polka first danced ? 

The description of the lavolta in Sir John Davies’s 
poem on dancing, The Orchestra (1596), shows that it must 
have closely resembled the dance which we fondly boast 
is one of the great inventions of the nineteenth century. 

/ ' 

153. What was “ the petition of the sixteen maids ” ? 

One presented to the Governor of the Province of South 
Carolina, by sixteen maids of Charleston, on March 1, 
1733-4, 44 the day of the feast.” It was as follows: — 

To His Excellency Governor Johnson. 

The humble petition of all the Maids who names are 
underwritten: — 


50 


QTXIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


Whereas we, the humble petitioners, are at present in a 
very melancholy disposition of mind, considering how all 
the bachelors are blindly captivated by widows, and our 
more youthful charms thereby neglected; the consequence 
of this, our request, is, that your Excellency will for the 
future order that no widow shall presume to marry any 
young man till the maids are provided for; or else to pay 
each of them a fine for satisfaction, for invading our 
liberties; and likewise a fine to be laid on all such bachelors 
as shall be married to widows, etc. 

154. What is the letter A ? 

The outline of an ox’s head, the two legs being the two 
horns. It is called in Hebrew aleph (an ox). 

155. What was the first use of the expression 
“ Almighty Dollar 99 ? 

Washington Irving (1789-1859) first made use of this 
expression, in his sketch of a Creole Village (1837). 

156. Where did Newton see the apple fall? 

The tree from which the apple fell that gave Newton 
(1642-1727) the hint about gravitation, stood in the garden of 
Mrs. Conduitt, at Woolsthorpe, England. 

157. Who was the u Old Man of the Mountains 99 ? 

Ilassan, Subah of Nishapour, the leader of the Assassins, 
was so called because he made Mount Lebanon his strong¬ 
hold. This band was the terror of the world for two 
centuries, when it was crushed by Sultan Bibaris — A. d. 

1090. 


QTXIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 51 

158. Where is Avernus. 

A lake in Campania, so called from the belief that its 
sulphurous and mephitic vapors killed any bird that 
happened to inhale them — the word means in Greek 
“ without birds.” Poets call it the entrance to the infernal 
regions; hence the proverb “ Facilis decensus Averni, ” etc. 

159. What is a u baker’s dozen ” ? 

Thirteen for twelve. When a heavy penalty was in¬ 
flicted for short weight, bakers used to give a surplus 
number of loaves, called the inbread , to avoid all risk of 
incurring the flne. 

T60. Is it true that u harking dogs never bite” ? 

Dogs in their wild state never bark; they howl, whine, 
and growl, but do not bark. Barking is an acquired habit, 
and as only domesticated dogs bark, this effort of a dog to 
speak is no indication of a savage temper. 

161. When was the u Battle of the Spurs ” ? 

In 1302, when the allied citizens of Ghent and Bruges won 
a famous victory over the chivalry of France under the 
walls of Courtray. After the battle more than seven hun¬ 
dred gilt spurs (worn by French nobles) were gathered 
from the field. In English history, however, the battle of 
Guinegate (1513) is so called u because the French spurred 
their horses to flight almost as soon as they came in sight of 
the English troops.” 

162. What was the “ Battle of the Herrings 99 ? 

A sortie made by the men of Orleans, in 1428, during the 
siege of their city, for the purpose of intercepting a supply 
of salt herrings sent to the besiegers. 


52 


QTXIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


163. When was Black Monday ? 

Easter Monday, April 14, 1360, when Edward III., with 
his army, was lying before Paris, and the day was so dark 
with mist and hail, so bitterly cold and so windy, that many 
of his men and horses died. In allusion to this fatal day, the 
Monday after Easter holidays is called Black Monday.” 

164. What was Black Thursday ? 

The day on which a terrible bush-fire occurred in the 
colony of Victoria, February 6, 1851. 

165. When was Black Saturday ? 

On the fourth of August, 1621. It is thus called in Scot¬ 
land, because a violent storm occurred at the time the 
Parliament was sitting to enforce episcopacy upon the 
people. 

166. Who was u killed by kindness ” ? 

Draco, the Athenian legislator, is said to have met with 
his death from his popularity, being smothered in the 
theatre of .ZEgina by the number of caps and cloaks 
showered on him by the spectators, in the year 590 b. c. 

167. How did the word “ blarney ” originate ? 

From the historical fact that Cormuck Macarthy held the 
castle of Blarney in 1602, and concluded an armistice with 
Carew, the Lord-President, on condition of surrendering the 
fort to the English garrison. Day after day his Lordship 
looked for the fulfilment of the terms, but received nothing 
except protocols and soft speeches, till he became the 
laughing stock of Elizabeth's ministers and the dupe of the 
Lord of Blarney. The Blarney Stone is triangular, lowered 


QtriZZtSM ; AND ITS KEY. 


53 


from the north angle of the castle, about twenty feet from 
the top, and he who kisses the stone is able to persuade to 
anything. 

168. Who were the three kings of Cologne ? 

They were the representatives of the three magi who 
came from the East to offer gifts to the infaut Jesus. 
Tradition makes them Eastern kings, and at Cologne the 
names ascribed to them are Kaspar, Melchior, and Bal¬ 
thazar. 

169. What is the origin of kissing the Pope’s toe ? 

Matthew of Westminster says that it was cus f >mary, 
formerly, to kiss the hand of his Holiness, but that a 
certain woman in the eighth century not only kissed the 
Pope’s hand, but “ squeezed it.” Seeing the danger to 
which he was exposed, the church magnate cut off his hand, 
and was compelled in future to offer his foot, which custom 
has continued to the present hour. And it is also believed 
by many that the hand cut off so many years ago is yet on 
exhibition at Rome, preserved in its original state of flesh 
and blood, free from corruption, and that it proves a miracle. 
Whenever the ceremony of kissing the toe takes place now, 
it is said his Holiness wears for the occasion a slipper with 
a cross worked in silk upon the place occupied by the toe, 
which is kissed, and thus the holy foot is saved from 
contamination. 

170. What is the origin of the expression “ knock 
*nder ” ? 

Three explanations are given, as follows: That it arose 
from a custom once common of knocking under the table 


54 


quizzism; and its key. 


when any guest wished to acknowledge himself beaten in 
argument. That the derivation is u knuckle under,” that is, 
to knuckle or bend the knuckle or knee in proof of sub¬ 
mission. Bellenden Kerr says it is “ Te no’ck ander,” which 
he interprets 44 1 am forced to yield.” 

171. What are Kufic coins ? 

They are Mahometan coins with Kufic or Ancient Arabic 
characters. The first were struck in the eighteenth year of 
the Hegira (a. d. 638). 

172. How did the word “ grog ” originate ? 

Jack loves to give a pet nickname to his favorite officers. 
The gallant Edward Yernon (a Westminster man by birth) 
was not exempted from the general rule. His gallantry 
and ardent devotion to his profession endeared him to the 
service. In bad weather he was in the habit of walking the 
deck in a rough 44 grogram” cloak and thence had obtained 
the nickname of 44 Old Grog.” While in command of the 
West India station, and at the height of his popularity on 
account of his reduction of Porto Bello with six men-of-war 
only, he introduced the use of rum-and-water by the ship's 
company. When served out, the new beverage proved most 
palatable, and speedily grew into such favor that it became 
as popular as the brave Admiral himself, and in honor of 
him was surnamed by acclamation 44 Grog.” 

173. What became of the remains of King James IL 
of England ? 

The following curious account was given in 1840, by Mr. 
Fitzsimmons, an Irish gentlemen upward of eighty years of 
age, who taught French and English at Toulouse and claimed 
to be a runaway monk; — 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


55 


u I was a prisoner in Paris, in the convent of the 
English Benedictines in the Hue St. Jaques, during part of 
the Revolution. In the year 1793 or 1794, the body of King 
James II. of England (died 1701) was in one of the chapels 
there, where it had been deposited some time, under the 
expectation that it would one day be sent to England for 
interment in Westminster Abbey. It had never been 
buried. The body was in a wooden coffin, inclosed in 
a leaden one; and that again inclosed in a second wooden 
one, covered with black velvet. That while I was so a 
prisoner the sans-culottes broke open the coffins to get at 
the lead to cast into bullets. The body lay exposed nearly 
a whole day. It was swaddled like a mummy, bound tight 
with garters. The sans-culottes took out the body, which 
had been embalmed. There was a strong smell of vinegar 
and camphor. The corpse was beautiful and perfect. The 
hands and nails were very fine. I moved and bent every 
finger. I never saw so fine a set of teeth in my life. A 
young lady, a fellow prisoner, wished much to have a tooth; 
I tried to get one out for her, but could not, they were so 
firmly fixed. The feet also were very beautiful. The face 
and cheeks were just as if he were alive. I rolled his eyes; 
the eye-balls were perfectly firm under my finger. The 
French and English prisoners gave money to the sans¬ 
culottes for showing the body. They said he was a good 
sans-culotte, and they were going to put him into a hole in 
the public churchyard like other sans-culottes; and he was 
carried away, but where the body was thrown I never 
heard. King George IY. tried all in his power to get tidings 
of the body, but could not. Around the chapel were 
several wax moulds of the face hung up, made probably at 
the time of the King’s death, and the corpse was very like 
them. The body had been originally kept at the palace of 
St. Germain, from whence it was brought to the convent of 
the Benedictines.” 


56 


QtriZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


174. What was the Ear of Dionysius ? 

A prison cave near Syracuse, Italy, so constructed that 
a whisper at the further end of the cavern is easily heard 
by a person at the entrance, though the distance is two 
hundred feet. Tradition says that the Tyrant of Syracuse 
used this as a dungeon, and was thus enabled to listen to 
the conversation of his unfortunate prisoners. 

175. Who killed Tecumseh ? 

Colonel Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, afterward 
Vice-President of the United States, was popularly called 
the u Tecumseh killer,” but the fact was never fully proved. 
Tecumseh was killed in the battle of the Thames (Ontario), 
October 5, 1S13. He was one of three brothers at the same 
birth, one of whom, Elskwatara, became famous as the 
“ Prophet.” They were born near Chillicothe, Ohio, on 
the banks of the Scioto river, about 1770. There have 
been several claimants for the fame of having slain the 
dreaded Shawnee chief, notably Abram Scribner, who came 
to Darke County, Ohio, in 1811, and served as a private in 
Colonel Johnson’s regiment. 

176. When was Black Eriday ? 

The original Black Friday was December 6, 1745, when 
the Londoners heard that the Pretender had reached Derby, 
llis adherents made their last fight to restore the Stuarts at 
Culloden in 1746. This was the last battle that has been 
fought in Great Britain. The term Black Friday has been 
given to an eventful day among stock and money specula¬ 
tors in New York, when a few gained what many lost. The 
crisis was due to the gold speculations of “Jim” Fisk on 
September 24, 1869.- 

Friday, September 19, 1873 (the day following the sus- 


quizzism; and its key. 


57 


pension of Jay Cooke & Co.), when there were many 
failures in the business circles of New York City, is by 
some called a Black Friday. 

177. What English King held the stirrup for a 
Pope of Pome to mount his horse ? 

Henry II. of England (1154-1189), in 1161, held the stirrup 
for Pope Alexander III. to mount his horse. It was at the 
Castle of Tore! on the Loire. Louis VIL, King of France, 
held the reins with Henry II., and both walked, leading the 
horse for the Pope to ride to the castle. 

178. When was the game of chess invented ? 

This game was invented, according to some authorities, 
by Palamedes, 680 b. C., but Oriental scholars say it is an 
Indian invention, and was played by the Hindoos, five 
thousand years ago. 

179. What is the familiar story of Sysla and a king ? 

It is the old story under different names, disguises, and 

conditions, which simply represents a good problem in 
geometrical progression, of placing one grain of wheat upon 
the first square of the chess-board, and doubling the amount 
upon the squares successively to the sixty-fourth. Lucas 
de Burgo, who has solved this question, makes the number 
to be 18,446,744,073,709,557,615. 

180. Who drove the last spike at the completion of 
the Union Pacific Railroad ? 

Ex-Governor Leland Stanford, President of the Central 
Pacific, of California. He is a native of Albany County, 
New York, born March 9,1824, of English descent. He was 


58 


quizzism; and its key. 


the fourth of eleven sons, and his father was a farmer. He 
served successfully a term of Governorship in California, 
and shoveled the first earth for the C. P. R. R., February 22, 
1863; and*, at noon on May 10, 1869, drove the golden spike, 
with a solid silver hammer, into a beautiful laurel tie, which 
was decorated with silver plates suitably inscribed. 

181. What are the seven Bibles ? 

The seven Bibles of the world are the Koran of the 
Mohammedans, the Tri Petikes of the Buddhists, the Five 
Kings of the Chinese, the three Vedas of the Hindoos, the 
Eddas of the Scandinavians, the Zendevester (or Zend Avesta ) 
of the Persians, and the Scriptures of the Christians. The 
Koran is the most recent of these, dating from about the 
middle of the seventh century. 

182. What marks the boundary between the United 
States and Canada ? 

The northern boundary of our country is marked by 
cairns, iron pillars, earth mounds, and timber posts. A 
stone cairn is seven and a half by eight feet; an earth 
mound seven feet by fourteen feet; an iron pillar seven feet 
high, and timber posts five feet high. There are three hun¬ 
dred and eighty-five of these marks between the Lake of the 
Woods and the base-of the Rocky Mountains. That portion 
of the boundary which lies east and west of Red River 
Valley is marked by cast-iron pillars, at even mile intervals, 
The British place one every two miles, and the United States 
one between each British post. Our pillars were made at 
Detroit. They are hollow iron castings, three eighths of an 
inch in thickness, in the form of a truncated pyramid, eight 
feet high, eight inches square at the bottom and four at the 
top. They have at the top a solid pyramidal cap, and at 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


59 


the bottom an octagonal flange one inch thick. Upon the 
opposite faces are cast, in letters two inches high, the 
following inscriptions: u Convention of London,” and 

October 20, 1818.” The inscriptions begin about four feet 
six inches above the base, and read upwards. The interior 
of the hollow posts is filled with well-seasoned cedar posts, 
sawed to fit, and securely spiked through spike-holes cast in 
the pillars for the purpose. Each pillar weighs eighty-five 
pounds. They are all set four feet in the ground, with their 
inscription-faces to the north and south. For the wooden 
posts, well-seasoned logs are selected, and the portion above 
the ground painted red, to prevent swelling and shrinking. 
These posts do very well, but the Indians cut them down for 
fuel, and nothing but iron will last very long. Where the 
line crosses lakes, mountains of stone have been built, the 
bases being in some places eighteen feet under water, and 
the tops projecting eight feet above the lake’s surface at 
high-water mark. In forests the line is marked by felling 
the lumber a rod wide, and clearing away the underbrush. 
The work of cutting through the swamps was very great, 
but it has been well done, and the boundary distinctly 
marked by the commissioners the whole distance from 
Michigan to Alaska. 

183. Why does lightning turn milk sour ? 

Lightning causes the gases of the air to combine, and then 
produces a poison called nitric acid, some portion of which, 
mixing with the milk, turns it sour. 

184. What spy swallowed the evidence of his guilt? 

The Major Daniel Taylor to whom reference has been 
made in the answer to query 54. A solution of tartar 
emetic was prepared for him by order of the American 


60 


quizzism; and its key, 


General Clinton,* which he at first refused to take, but being 
threatened with the dissecting-knife, reluctantly swallowed 
the dose, giving up evidence of his guilt. A second time he 
managed to swallow the bullet when the dose was repeated, 
and the spy soon afterwards executed. 

185. Where is the Raleigh Tavern? 

It was located in Williamsburg, Virginia. In the ball¬ 
room, or “ Hall of Apollo,” of this historic building, eighty- 
nine of the members of the Virginia Assembly (which had 
been dissolved by the Earl of Dunmore) met, and continued 
their legislative proceedings, just prior to the Revolution; 
and here Thomas Jefferson, Charles Lee, R. H. Lee, and 
others, in May, 1769, conferred upon the necessity of a 
permanent separation from the Mother Country. 

186. What people regard Eriday as a lucky day ? 
Why? 

The Spaniards.* Columbus sailed from Palos on Friday, 
August 3, 1492; the discovery of a New World was made on 
the same day, October 12, 1492; and many of their noted 
and principal victories have been gained on this day of ill- 
omen. On Friday, the fourth day of January, 1493, Colum¬ 
bus started on his return to Spain, to announce to their 
Catholic Majesties the glorious result of their expedition, 
and on Friday, the fifteenth of March, 1493, he disembarked 
in Andalusia. He discovered the American continent on 
Friday, the thirteenth of June, 1498. Americans might, 
however, regard the day as one of good luck, as many 
felicitous and happy events in our history hold this as their 
natal day. On Friday, March 5, 1497, Henry VII. of Eng- 

* The similarity of names of the English and American generals first- 
misled the spy, and brought him into the patriot’s camp. 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


61 


land gave to John Cabot his dispatch for the voyage which 
resulted in the discovery of the continent of North America. 
On Friday, September 6,1565, Melendez founded St. Augus¬ 
tine, the oldest town in the United States. On Friday, 
November 10, 1620, the Mayflower first disembarked a few 
emigrants on American soil at Provincetown; and on 
Friday, December 22, 1620, her passengers finally landed at 
Plymouth Rock. It was on Friday, February 22, 1732, that 
George Washington was born. The union of the colonies 
was made on Friday, May 20, 1775. It was on Friday, June 
17, 1775, that the battle of Bunker Hill was fought, and on 
Friday, October 17, 1777, that the surrender at Saratoga 
took place, which event resulted in our acknowledgment as 
a nation by France, and the offer of material aid and encour¬ 
agement from our Gallic neighbor. On Friday the treason 
of Arnold was discovered; the surrender of Yorktown, 
October 19, 1781, was on an ever-memorable Friday; and 
on Friday, June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee read the 
Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress. 


187. How did Cleopatra die ? 

She put an end to her life by the bite of an asp which was 
brought to her concealed in a basket of figs. August, 30 b. c. 
She was the daughter of Ptolemy Auletus, after whose 
death she became associated with her younger brother, 
Ptolemy, in the crown of Egypt. About the age of 
seventeen, she captivated Caesar by her charms (she being 
very beautiful), who caused her to be made sole sovereign 
of Egypt. Her next victim, after Caesar’s death, was Mark 
Antony. He put away his wife Octavia, to live with her. 
After the terrible battle of Actium, 31 b. c., won by the 
conquerer, Augustus, she gave up all hopes of making 
terms, knowing him to be invincible to her fascinations. 


62 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


188. What was the name of the Indian that shot 
King Philip ? 

The renegade traitor Alderman. Philip was killed 
August 12,1676. An old Indian executioner, a bloodthirsty- 
wretch, cut off the head of Philip and quartered him. 
Philip had one remarkable hand which was much scarred by 
the explosion of a pistol, and this was given to Alderman 
who preserved it in rum and carried it around the country as 
a show, “ and accordingly,” says Captain Benjamin Church 
(1639-1718), “he got many a penny by it.” 

189. Where are storks protected by law ? 

In Holland, where they feed on the frogs which breed in 
the pools and marshes,- apd preserve the dikes from the 
inroads of worms. 

190. What city is built on five small islands ? 

Carlscrona, in the Baltic; it belongs to Sweden, and is the 
principal station of the Swedish navy. Stockholm is also 
built partly on islands, and intersected by numerous canals. 
The royal palace is on the highest and most central of the 
three islands in the original town, distinctively called u the 
city.” , (Stad.) 

191. What is the meaning of Bab-el-Mandeb ? 

“ Gate of Tears ”; so called from the dangers of its 
navigation. 

192. Where is there a “floating town” ? 

In Bangkok, Siam. It is composed of bamboo rafts, 
arranged like streets, and each supporting several houses. 


quizzism; and its key. 


63 


193. What is the highest fortress in the world ? 

Gibraltar; built on a peninsular rock, which rises to the 
height of fifteen hundred feet. It has belonged to Britain 
since 1704, and has stood three sieges, the last and most 
famous one being in 1782. 

194. What body of water is nine times salter than 
the ocean ? 

The Dead Sea, whose surface is 1,312 feet below the level 
of the Mediterranean. It occupies the site of Sodom, 
Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim. 

195. Where was the temple of Jupiter Ammon ? 

In the oasis of Siwah, three hundred and twenty miles 
west of Cairo, where the ruins are still to be seen. This is 
where Alexander the Great desired to be buried; but 
Perdiccas, the general in command, to whom Alexander in 
his dying moments gave his signet-ring, refused to go 
farther than Alexandria. 

196. What country is known as the “ white man’s 
grave ” ? 

Sierra Leone, which was founded in 1787, for the 
suppression of the slave trade. Owing to its unhealthy 
climate, the mortality among the white residents is unprec¬ 
edentedly large. 

197. Which is the nearest American town to 
Europe ? 

St. Johns, Newfoundland; being only about nineteen 
hundred and twenty miles from the coast of Ireland. 





64 


quizzism; and its key. 


198. Where was Captain John Smith’s life saved by- 
Pocahontas ? 

In Gloucester county, Virginia, at a place called 
Meronocomoco, or Werowacomoco. It is situated near 
Mobjack Bay, which is an inlet near the mouth of the York 
river. 

199. When was the u Starving Time ” in Virginia ? 

Early in the year 1610, the existing government had been 
set aside by the new charter, and the old colonists became 
hungry and quarrelsome. Smith did what he could to main¬ 
tain order and to keep off destitution. Being injured by an 
explosion of powder, he was obliged to return to England 
to seek medical aid, and his departure left the colony almost 
without control. Hostilities with the Indians were renewed, 
famine followed, and in six months four hundred and ninety 
colonists were reduced to sixty. One man was put to death 
for killing and eating his wife; others fed on the corpses of 
the dead. 

200. What “Tea Parties” are celebrated in our 
history ? 

The Boston Tea Party, when a band of citizens, disguised 
as Indians, on the night of December 16, 1773, seized the 
vessels, emptied the tea into the harbor, and then quietly 
dispersed without harming the ships. A writer in the 
Boston Journal says that a small graveyard, near North 
Haverhill, New Hampshire, contains an unmarked grave, 
in which, for seventy years, have reposed the remains of 
one whom Boston should honor — brave McIntosh, the 
leader of the Boston Tea Party. McIntosh died in the year 
1810 or 1811, at the house of a Mr. Hurlburt, who resided at 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


65 


what is now known as the poor-farm, and to whose care 
McIntosh had been bid off as a public pauper at public 
auction as the lowest bidder, according to “ ye ancient 
custom,” and as recorded upon the town records. In 1772, 
a British vessel was in Narragansett Bay to enforce the 
collection of taxes. Her commander irritated the people, 
and on a stormy night in June, about sixty men, led by 
Captain Whipple, went in a boat and burned the vessel. 
Three years afterward, Sir James Wallace, in command of 
a British man-of-war in the same waters, wrote a note to 
the hero of that night's adventure, saying: 44 You, Abraham 
Whipple, on the seventeenth of June, 1772, burned His 
Majesty’s vessel, the Gaspe , and I will hang you to the 
yard-arm.” Whipple instantly replied: “Sir: — Always 
catch a man before you hang him.” 

As the petitions of the people of Maryland were dis¬ 
regarded by the British Ministry, in 1769 they formed 
* 4 non-importation associations,'’ the members of which 
pledged themselves neither to import, buy, nor sell any 
articles of British production, except such as were abso¬ 
lutely necessary, until the obnoxious law should be 
repealed. In July, 1770, the British barque Good Intent , 
with merchandise on board, arrived at Annapolis, and was 
compelled by the people to return without landing her 
cargo. 

In August, 1774, a vessel arrived in the St. Mary's river 
with several packages of tea on board, consigned to mer¬ 
chants in Georgetown and Bladensburg. Committees had 
been formed in the various counties to see that no tea was 
imported; and those of Charles and Frederick counties 
ordered this consignment to be sent back to London. 

On October 14, 1774, the brig Peggy Stewart , having on 
board, with other goods, over two thousand pounds of tea 
consigned to a mercantile house, arrived at Annapolis. The 


66 


QTTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


citizens at once, assembled in public meeting; resolved that 
the tea should not be landed, and that they would meet 
again on the nineteenth to determine what should be done 
with it. When they met on that day, they learned, to their 
great indignation, that Mr. Anthony Stewart, one of the 
owners of the brig, had paid the duty on the tea since their 
previous meeting. This action they justly considered as not 
only an insult, but treason, to his fellow-citizens. Alarmed 
at the public feeling, Mr. Stewart and the consignees signed 
a most humble apology for their conduct, and offered to 
land the tea and publicly burn it. This, however, was not 
considered a sufficient punishment for so grave an offence; 
and Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, advised the unfortunate 
ship-owner to fire his vessel with his own hands. The 
Peggy Stewart was accordingly run aground near Windmill 
(now Jeffrey’s) Point, with all her sails set and colors flying, 
and Mr. Stewart with his own hands applied the torch; the 
assembled multitude cheering while she burned to the 
water’s edge. In this public and manly way did the patri¬ 
otic Marylanders punish an attempt to betray their dearest 
rights; for they justly felt that the liberties of all depended 
upon a firm maintenance of the resolve not to be taxed 
without their consent. The centennial anniversary (an 
exact duplication) of this thrilling event was one of the 
interesting features of the year 1874. Similar actions took 
place prior to the Eevolution, in the ports of New York, 
Charleston, and Savannah. 


201. What was the fate of Osceola ? 

He was confined in a frame or log prison along the Bat¬ 
tery at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1837. While in jail 
he presented a most abject and humiliated look, and when 
visitors were present would raise his head only to ask for 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


67 


“baccy.” Very unlike the heroic chieftain of sentimental 
verse who would not “ ask for quarter ” or “ bend the knee.” 
His death is supposed to have been occasioned by poison 
secretly administered to him. He was buried in the prison, 
and a plank slab now marks the spot. 

202. What is ostracism ? 

It derives its name from the word ostreon; Greek for 
shell. By the custom of Ostracism citizens of Athens could 
cast one shell each, with any obnoxious name (to them) 
written on it, into an enclosure. The magistrates counted 
the shells, and if six thousand shells were cast against any 
one person he was banished for ten years. A plebeian who 
did not know Aristides requested him to write the name 
Aristides on a shell; thereupon the Grecian statesman wrote 
his own name, but asked why the man wished to banish 
him. “Because,” replied the ignorant voter and envious 
countryman, “ I am vexed at hearing him everywhere and 
continually called The Just.” 

This method of getting rid of an undesirable citizen 
(though a very unjust one, for by it Greece lost many of 
her noblest and best men) was introduced by Cleisthenes, 
after the expulsion of Hippias, 510 b. C. 

203. Who was the “ Old Man Eloquent ” ? 

Milton, in his sonnet to Lady Margaret Lay, uses this 
expression in allusion to Isocrates (436-338 b. c.). The 
name has been very generally applied in America to John 
Quincy Adams, and by some to Henry Clay. 

204. Who first circumnavigated the globe ? 

Though Magellan is said to have been the first to circum¬ 
navigate the globe, in 1518-21, he did not complete his 


68 


quizzism; and its key. 


voyage, as he was killed by the natives of the Philippine 
Islands, and the ships completed the “ tour of the world” 
under command of his lieutenant, Cano. 

205. Who was the rider of the Black Horse at 
Saratoga ? 

Benedict Arnold. A very graphic account is given of this 
intrepid hero (for he was one, despite his treachery) riding 
hatless along the ranks, in and out among the British soldiers, 
cheering his men, dashing alone against the enemy’s lines, 
and by emulation causing his men to gain the victory. 
October 7, 1777. 

206. Who had their ears licked by serpents while 
asleep ? 

It is said that Cassandra and Helenus were gifted with the 
power of prophecy, because serpents licked their ears while 
they were sleeping in the Temple of Apollo. 

207. What maid was changed into a spider ? 

Arachne was changed into a spider by Athenne (Minerva). 

208. Whom did Jupiter change into a nightingale ? 

Philomela. 

209. What was the location of the celebrated garden 
of the Hesperides ? 

The garden of the Hesperides was supposed to be at the 
foot of Mount Atlas, Greece. The Scilly Islands, ten miles 
from the Land’s End of England, were known to the 
ancients as the Hesperides. 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


69 


210. What pious couple was changed into an oak and 

a lime ? t 

Philemon and Baucis were changed into trees by Zeus 
(Jupiter). 

211. Who obtained divine rank by a leap into the 
sea ? 

Glaucus. 

212. What is the “ tin-cry ” ? 

The “ cry of tin ” is a crackling sound when a piece of 
block-tin or of solder containing tin is bent. If held near 
the ear it is very distinct. The sound is attributed to its 
crystalline structure, and the molecular motion caused by 
bending. Cast zinc, which breaks before it will bend, emits 
sound when pinched with pliers or between the teeth. An 
article on the “ cry of tin ” may be found in the Scientific 
American for June 11, 1881, p. 373. 

213. What is Cleopatra’s Needle ? 

The name of an Egyptian obelisk, and an absurd mis¬ 
nomer, as it was erected in the “ twelfth dynasty,” a 
thousand years before Joseph. It is a block of syenite, 
weighing about two hundred tons; was erected at Heliopo¬ 
lis, brought to Alexandria by Cleopatra, and placed in front 
of the palace of the Caesars. It now stands in Central Park, 
New York City. 

214. What is the toad-stone ? 

Toad-stone is a variety of trap-rock of a brownish color, 
found in Derbyshire, England. It is not named from a £oad, 
but has been derived from the German words todt and stein , 


70 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


meaning “ dead-stone,” as it never contains metallic ores. 
The jewel or precious stone once popularly supposed to be 
in the head of the toad, has been called a toad-stone. 
Shakespeare called it a * 4 precious jewel.” The name toad- 
stone or bufonite has been given to the fossil tooth of the 
fossil fish Pycnodus , supposed to have wonderful medical 
and magical properties. 

215. What is Prince Rupert’s Drop ? 

Drops of molten glass, consolidated by falling into water. 
Their form is that of a tadpole. The thick end may be 
hammered pretty smartly without breaking it, but if the 
smallest portion of their end is nipped off, the whole flies 
into fine dust, with explosive violence. These toys, if not 
invented by Prince Rupert, were introduced by him into 
England. 


216. What place was regarded as the entrance of 
hell? 

Acherusia, a cavern on the borders of Pontus, in Asia 
Minor, was fabled to lead to hell, or the infernal regions. 
Through this cavern Hercules was believed to have dragged 
the three-headed watch-dog of hell, Cerberus, to the earth. 

In the volcanic districts of Tuscany an abundance of 
boron is found. Throughout an area of nearly thirty miles 
is a wild, mountainous region of terrible violence and con¬ 
fusion. The surface is ragged and blasted. Everywhere 
there issue from the ground jets of steam, filling the air 
with offensive odors. The earth itself shakes beneath the 
feet, and frequently yields to the tread, engulfing man and 
beast. u The waters below are heard boiling with strange 
noises, and are seen breaking out upon the surface. Of old 
it was regarded as the entrance to hell. The peasants pass 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


71 


by in terror, counting their beads and imploring the pro¬ 
tection of the Virgin.” 

Lake Avernus, in Campania in Italy, was also called by 
Virgil the entrance to the infernal regions, to which the 
descent was easy. (There are a hundred thousand licensed 
and unlicensed entrances in the United States.) 

217. Why do not stones burn as well as wood ? 

Because they are already oxidized or burnt. They are 
forms of ashes, or products of combustion. Some unoxi¬ 
dized stones, as mineral coal, will burn as well as wood. 

/" 

218. What is the story of Prince San Severo ? 

A certain Prince San Severo, at Naples, exposed some 
human skulls to the action of several reagents, and then to 
the heat of a furnace. From the product he obtained a 
substance which burned for months without apparent loss 
of weight. The prince refused to divulge the process, as he 
wished his family-vault to be the only one to possess a 
“perpetual lamp” the secret of which he considered him¬ 
self to have discovered. 

219. Wbat is “ fox-fire” ? 

A kind of rotten wood, which at night resembles a mass 
of glow-worms, and owes its light to the decaying micelium 
of a fungus. 

220. Wbat produces “ green.stars” ? 

For fireworks, green stars are made by burning a compo¬ 
sition of baryta nitrate and charcoal, sometimes with 
potassium chlorate and arsenic sulphide. It is packed in 
a small box, like a pill-box, and ignited as required, usually 


72 


QinZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


in the air by a rocket. Green Stars, in Astronomy, are 
usually associated with red, as binary stars. Nobody knows 
“ what causes them .” 

221. Where is there an “ Inverted Volcano ” ? 

The Sculptured Rocks of Lake Superior furnish an 
example. The strata of the Pillared Rocks form a wall fifty 
to one hundred feet high, and line the shore for a distance of 
five miles. Their marked hues and fantastic shapes excite 
the imagination of every beholder. Here is “Miner’s 
Castle,” with its turrets and bastions; there “Sail Rock,” 
a ship with sails fullspread; and yonder “The Amphi¬ 
theatre,” with its symmetrical curves. A closer inspection 
only reveals more curious details and resemblances. 

222. When did the reign of the gigantic reptiles 
terminate ? 

With the Cretaceous geological period. How long ago 
this was in years , no one knows, but it was before the tertiary 
system, which covers the eastern coast of the United States 
from New Jersey to Texas. 

223. What frog-like quadruped often attained the 
size of an ox ? 

The frog-like animal that in the triassic portion of the 
Mesozoic period was as large as an ox, was the Labyrinth- 
odon. 

224. What fish stick their heads in the mud? 

The mud-fish , or Lepidosiren of tropical rivers, really 
a link between true fishes and reptiles, buries itself in the 
mud. Also a fresh-water fish, of the genus Cohitis , is called 


qtjizzism; and its key. 


T3 


the mud-fish from its mud-seeking habits. A species of 
Catfish — Pimelodus — resembling the Bullhead or Horned 
Pout is called the Mudpout because it plows into the mud 
at the bottom of rivers and creeks. 

225. What are “ California diamonds ” ? 

They are crystals of quartz, the most abundant of all 
minerals. They are sometimes cut and set by jewelers and 
sold as “ white topaz,” but often as “ California diamonds.” 

226. What are mesas ? 

High plains or table-lands; from the Spanish mesa, table; 
Latin mensa. In Pacific Bailroad Beport, vol. i, p.84, B, the 
“mesa or table-land character” of certain areas is noticed. 
There is a diminutive form Mesilla used where they occur on 
a smaller scale. Maury in Physical Geography, p. 31, note, 
states: “ A mesa is a gentle knoll swelling gradually.” 

227. When was the Ichthyosaurus discovered. 

It was first described to the scientific world in the Philo¬ 
sophical Transactions for 1814, by Sir Everard Home, of 
London, England. He called it a “ reptile with the muzzle 
of a dolphin, the teeth of a crocodile, the head of a lizard 
the paddles of a whale, and the vertebra} of a fish.” The 
year 1814 may be taken as the date of the discovery to men 
of science, though parts of the strange fossil had been 
found by workmen before. 

228. What causes the white streaks on a plastered 
wall? 

The simple explanation is that the “white streaks” 
indicate the location of the joists in large buildings, and that 


74 


QTJIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


while the air has filtered through the wall, depositing its 
dust, the portion of the ceiling touching the beams is pro¬ 
tected from this process of filtration, and retains its natural 
or original color — white. 

Or, in the words of Professor N. B. Webster, a. m., of 
Norfolk, Virginia: u The white streaks on plastered ceil¬ 
ings, often noticed in churches and halls, are always just 
under beams or joists, the intermediate spaces being dark¬ 
ened by deposits of dust in the air that have filtered upward 
through the porous plaster on laths; but the beams made 
an obstruction to the passage of the air, so, as it did not 
pass through the plaster under them, the plaster there was 
not colored. The plastered ceiling is a strainer for the air 
constantly passing through it when the air on opposite 
sides is not of the same temperature.” 

229. What causes the sweating of a pitcher ? 

The pitcher being colder than the surrounding atmosphere 
condenses the moisture. 

230. How did the character £ come into use to 
denote pounds, and what does it signify ? 

It is from the old English black-letter %, the abbreviation 
for Libra —a pound weight; because anciently thb pbund 
money was by law a pound weight of silver. 

231. Is it historically true that the dollar sign ($) is 
a contraction of U. S. ? 

Writers are not agreed as to the derivation of this sign to 
represent dollars. Some say that it comes from the letters 
U. S., which, after the adoption of the Federal Constitution, 
were prefixed to the Federal currency, and were afterwards, 


quizzism; and its key, 


75 


in the hurry of writing, run into one another, the U being 
made first and the S over it. On the reverse of the Spanish 
dollar is a representation of the Pillars of Hercules , and 
round each pillar is a scroll, with the inscription plus ultra. 
The device, in the course of time, has degenerated into the 
sign which stands at present for American as well as Spanish 
dollar — $. “The scroll round the pillars,” states one 
writer, “ I take it, represents the two serpents sent by Juno 
to destroy Hercules in his cradle.” Similarly, another 
author writes: “ The combination of the Pillars of Hercules, 
supposed to have been planted at the mouth of the 
Mediterranean, and the serpent, form the original source- 
of our dollar-mark. Probably in imitation of the ancient 
coins of Tyre.” Others state that it is derived from the 
contraction of the Spanish word pesos, dollars; that it is 
from the Spanish fuertes, hard — to distinguish silver from 
paper money. The more plausible explanation is that it is 
a modification of the figure 8, and denotes a piece of eight 
reals , or, as the dollar was formerly called, a piece of eight. 
It was then designated by the figures 

232. Where were the “ Seven Cities of Cibola ” ? 

Much interest has been taken by antiquarians to find the 
site of the “ Seven Cities,” and the wonderful expedition of 
Coronado to find these Aztec, or ante-Aztec, wonders, which 
were, in all probability, nothing more than a number of 
huts or small villages separated into seven divisions, wa§ 
discussed in the publications of the Smithsonian Institution, 
several years ago. One supposition is that the name is a 
corruption of Cipango (China), as the Spaniards then thought 
they were in the West India. From an account of M. Be La 
Salle’s Expedition , by Cavalier Touti (translated in English), 
we clip the following: “ We saw .... four-footed crea- 


76 


QUXZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


tures of all sorts, especially one large sort of oxen which 
they call Gibolas ; these are raised like a camel from the 
chin to the middle of the back; they feed among the canes, 
and go together sometimes no less in number than fifteen 
hundred.” This evidently refers to the bison, usually called 
buffalo. 

The account of Coronado’s march in search of the “ Seven 
Cities of Cibola,” by General J. H. Simpson, United States 
Army, published in Beport of Smithsonian Institution for 1869, 
occupies about 33 pages. From this account we learn that 
“ in the year 1530, Nuno de Guzman, president of New 
Spain, was informed by his slave, an Indian from the 
province of Tejos, situated somewhere north from Mexico, 
that in his travels he had seen cities so large that they might 
compare with the city of Mexico; that these cities were 
seven in number, and had streets which were exclusively oc¬ 
cupied bjr workers in gold and silver, and that to reach them, 
a journey of forty days through a desert was required.” 

These were the “ Seven Cities of Cibola ” which Gallatin, 
Squier, Whipple, and others have contended were near Zuni. 
On the contrary Emory and Abert of the United States 
Army have conjectured that Cibolletta, Moquino, Pojnati, 
Covero, Acoma, Laguna, and Poblacon, a group of villages 
some ninety miles east of Zuni, furnish the site of the seven 
cities. Mr. Morgan in North American Beview , April, 1869, 
suggests the ruins of Chaco, a hundred miles northeast of 
Zuni, as the site. The account is too long to copy at length, 
but will repay perusal by such as can have access to the 
authorities indicated. 


233. In what country are cats minus tails ? 

Manx or Cornish cats are tailless, but they are not now 
confined to one country. 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


77 


234. Who said: “ I am for my country, right or 
wrong ” ? 

Commodore Stephen Decatur, United States Navy, at a 
public dinner given in Norfolk, Virginia, about the year 
1817, gave this toast: u Our country, right or wrong” These 
were the words, and this was the occasion. 


235. How do grasshoppers breathe ? 

They respire neither by means of lungs nor gills, but 
the air which enters by the breathing-pores is conveyed by 
tubes to all parts of the body. 


236. When and how did the horse-shoe come to he an 
omen of Good Luck ? 

Horse-shoes were at one time nailed up over doors as a 
protection against witches. It is lucky to pick up a horse-shoe. 
Why? This was from the notion that a horse-shoe was 
a protection against witches. For the same reason our 
superstitious forefathers loved to nail a horse-shoe on their 
house-door. Lord Nelson had one nailed to the mast of 
his ship Victory. In the Tower of London is a highly 
curious suit of armor worn by King Henry VIII. (1490- 
1547), which was a present from the Emperor Maximilian I. 
of Germany (1459-1519) to the English king, on his marriage 
in 1509 with Katharine of Arragon. Upon it is the 
congratulatory word “ Gluck,” a word from the Gothic 
languages signifying prosperity. As armors went ‘ 1 out of 
fashion,’’ the term was transferred to ordinary metal — 
and why not to the horse-shoe! and the term above indi¬ 
cated lengthened, by misapprehension or otherwise, into the 
expression Good Luck. This is our hypothesis. 


78 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


237. Where is the “ Home of the Gold ” ? 

Somewhere in southwestern New Mexico, in the Sierra 

Madre, it is said, there is a wonderful valley. Small, 
inclosed in high, rocky walls, and accessible only through 
a secret passage, which is known to hut few, is this 
extraordinary place. It is about ten acres in extent, and, 
running across it, is a ledge of pure gold about thirty feet 
wide, which glistens in the sunlight like a great golden belt. 
The vivid imagination of the Mexican has built upon it tales 
of men who have found this wonderful place. One is that 
a certain Jose Alvarrez, while wandering through the moun¬ 
tains in search of game, saw the valley from the top of one 
of the walls. Finding that he could not hope to enter it by 
climbing down, he took up his abode with the Indians who 
guard the canon leading into it. The daughter of the chief 
fell in love with him, and betrayed the secret to him. 
Having been shown the entrance, Jose went in, and possibly 
would have managed to escape with some of the gold had he 
not weighed himself to such an extent that he could not get 
up the declivity at the lower end of the passage. He was 
discovered, and the Indians sacrificed him on the golden 
ledge with all the terrible ceremonies of the old Aztec 
religion. The girl, in despair at losing him, threw herself 
from the high walls into the valley below. Hundreds of 
prospectors have spent months of toil trying to find the 
Madre d’Oro, but, it is scarcely necessary to state, with no 
result. 

238. What General has two graves ? 

General Wayne's remains (“Mad Anthony” of the Kev- 
olution, whom the Indians called the “Town-Destroyer” 
and the “Sleepless Chief”), which were exhumed at Erie, 
in the old fort, and brought over the mountains in a box, 



qutzzism; and its key. 


79 


seventy-six years ago, are in the old church at Radnor. 
There has been a story current that all his bones were not 
collected at the exhumation, and this has given origin to 
the statement of a man having two graves. 

239. How much did England pay per head for the 
Hessians ? 

For twenty-two thousand Hessians, King George paid 
21,276,778 thalers, or about $700 a head. 

240. When did cats, dogs, sheep, and other animals 
cause the capture of a city ? 

In the year 525 B.C., when Cambyses, the son of Cyrus 
the Great, placed these animals (sacred to the Egyptians) 
before his army, defeated Psammenitus in a pitched battle, 
took Memphis, and conquered Egypt. Diodorus tells us that 
whoever killed a cat, even by accident, was by the Egyptians 
punished by death. 

241. To whom were a bird, a mouse, a frog, and five 
arrows, sent as a present ? 

When Darius Hystaspes invaded Scythia about 510 b. c., 
the Scythian ruler sent him a a frog , a mowse, and five 

arrows. As interpreted by Gobryas, one of the lords that 
had deposed the Magian impostor, it reads thus: “ Know,” 
says he to the Persians, “ that unless you can fly in the air 
like birds, or hide yourselves in the earth like mice [moles], 
or dive under the water like frogs, you shall in no wise be 
able to avoid the arrows of the Scythians.” 

Darius accepted this view of the matter and retired to his 
own country. 


80 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


242. Who betrayed the secret path at the Pass of 
Thermopylae to Xerxes ? 

Epialtes, the traitor, a Trachinian. 

243. Who puzzled Solomon ? 

Abdemon, a Tyrian, is said to have puzzled him with his 
subtle questions. 

244. How many Athenians fell at Marathon ? 

One hundred and ninety-two. With the marble, that the 
Persians had brought to erect a pillar commemorative of 
their supposed victory, the Greeks made a monument, and 
on it were inscribed the names of these immortal dead. 

245. Who was the first Indian to become a Christian ? 

Manteo was the first Indian to embrace Christianity. He 
was baptized on the thirteenth day of August, 1587. He was 
invested with the power of Baron or Lord of Roanoke. 
This was done by the members of the “Lost Colony.” 

246. Who was Madame Chanoyes ? 

The French woman who dragged Captain John Smith 
from the hungry waves of the Mediterranean, when he was 
about drowned, — he had been thrown overboard from a ship, 
— nursed him back to life and health, and “loved him for 
the dangers he had passed.” 

247. What are the “ Summer Isles ” to which 
reference is made in Captain John Smith’s Generali 
Historie ? 

The Bermudas. The wreck of the Sea Adventure , carrying 
the three commissioners, Gates, Somers, and Newport, to 


QtTlZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


81 


the Virginia colony in 1609, upon these islands, is supposed 
to be a part of the plot upon which Shakespeare based his 
drama of The Tempest. 

248. Who were the Budians ? 

A Scythian tribe were so called who were famous for 
their blue eyes and red hair. 

249. What was the cause of 11 th*e slaughter of the 
magi ” ? 

The enraged Persians, when they learned of the deception 
practised upon them by the false Smerdis, the Magian, who 
had seized the throne, passing himself off as Smerdis, the 
son of Cyrus the Great (whose death, by order of Cam- 
byses, was known to him, but not to the people), fell upon 
these priests and massacred them. 521 b.c. 

250. What were the Sicilian Vespers ? 

The massacre of eight thousand French by the people of 
Sicily on Easter Monday, in 1282 (March 30). It began at 
Palermo, as the bell was tolling for evening service, and 
hence it has taken this quaint title. 

251. When was gunpowder invented ? 

It is said to have been first used in Europe on March 28, 
1380, by the Venetians against the Genoese. The discovery 
.of the power of powder is attributed to Berthold Schwartz, 
a monk of Mayence, about 1300, though it is said to have 
been known in India very early, and obtained from that 
country by the Arabians, who employed it in a battle near 
Mecca in G90. The use of gunpowder at the battles of 
Cressy and Poictiers in 1346 is questioned. Rabelais says 


82 


QtriZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


that the art of printing was invented about the same time by 
divine inspiration, as a match for the devil’s suggestion of 
artillery. 


252. Who is the “father of Russian poetry” ? 

Michael Lomonozof, who died April 4, 1764. He rose 

from the humble occupation of a fishmonger to be a 
philosopher of no mean pretensions; published a history 
of the Russian sovereigns, and an ancient history of Russia, 
from the origin of the nation. His odes are greatly admired 
for originality of invention, sublimity of sentiment, and 
energy of language. 

253. Who was Laura de Noves ? 

The love of Petrarch. She was descended from a 
Provencal family which became extinct in the sixteenth 
century, inherited a large fortune by the death of her father, 
and married Hugh de Sade, of Avignon. She was considered 
the most beautiful woman of the city. Petrarch says it was 
six o’clock in the morning of the sixth'of April, 1327, that 
he first saw her in the church of the nuns of Saint Clara; and 
it was the same hour of the same day, 1348, that she died 
of the plague. Nearly two centuries after, some antiquarians 
having obtained permission to open her grave, found a 
parchment enclosed in a leaden box, containing a sonnet 
bearing Petrarch’s signature. 

254. Who was Joice Heath ? 

A blind negress who had been carried about the country 
as a show, under the pretence that she was one hundred and 
sixty-two years of age, and had been the nurse of General 
Washington, dying in New York on February 22, 1836. 
A post-mortem examination proved that she could not have 
been more than eighty years old. 



QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEA, 


83 


255. When was the mutiny of the crew of the 
Bounty ? 

It occurred on the twenty-eighth of April, 1789, while the 
ship was returning from Otaheite with a cargo of fruit trees 
to stock the West India Islands. The vessel had on board 
ten hundred and fifteen plants of the bread-fruit tree. 
Lieutenant Bligh and nineteen of the crew were compelled 
to go into an open boat; “ they reached the Island of Timor 
in June, after a perilous voyage of twelve hundred leagues.” 

256. Who set fire to the Temple of Diana ? 

Eratostratus, an Ephesiaii youth who fondly panted for 
an infamous reputation, on the night of June 6, 356 B. C. 
(On this day was born Alexander the Great.) 

257. What is the Index Expur gator ius ? 

A catalogue of the books prohibited by the Church of 
Rome, first made by the Inquisitors, and approved by the 
Council of Trent, 1559. The Index of heretical books, by 
which the reading of the Scriptures was forbidden (with 
certain exceptions) to the laity, was confirmed by a bull of 
Pope Clement VIII. in 1595. Most of the celebrated works 
of France, Spain, Germany, and England, are prohibited. 
On June 25, 1864, Hugo’s Les Miserables and many other 
books were added to the number. Several books were 
inserted in it in January, 1866. 

258. When was the Battle of Great Bridge fought ? 

December 9, 1775. This was but a short time before the 
destruction of Norfolk, January 1, 1776. There was not 
a building left undestroyed in the city but a shed and St. 
Paul’s Church. The latter still stands, an historic monu- 


84 


QTTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


ment, with a cannon-ball, fired from the British vessel 
Liverpool , wedged in between the granite blocks. 

The patriots in Virginia had been very successful from 
the beginning of the Revolution. After Governor Dunmore 
had been driven to the shelter of the British war-ships, he 
collected a motley force of royalists, and began to desolate 
southeastern Virginia. The “minute-men” gathered in 
large numbers to oppose him, and at the Great Bridge near 
the Dismal Swamp was fought this severe battle. Dunmore, 
defeated and humilated, returned to his ships at Norfolk, 
and burnt that city in revenge. 

259. When was Ket’s Rebellion ? 

In July, 1549, William Ket, a tanner, of Norfolk, Eng¬ 
land, demanded the abolition of inclosures and the dismissal 
of evil counsellors. The insurgents amounted to twenty 
thousand men, but were quickly defeated by the Earl of 
Warwick. More than two thousand fell. Ket was tried, 
and hanged August 27, 1549. 

260. Who was the “ Man with the Iron Mask ? 99 

There have been many conjectures' as to his identity. 
The two best are, that he was a son of Anne of Austria, 
queen of Louis XIII., his father being the Cardinal Mazarin 
(to whom that dowager-queen was privately married) or the 
Duke of Buckingham; or that he was the twin-brother of 
Louis XIV., whose birth was concealed to prevent civil 
dissensions in France, which it might one day have caused. 
This last conjecture was received by Voltaire and many 
others. It has been more recently supposed that Fouquet. 
an eminent statesman in the time of Louis XIV., was the 
Marquis de Fer; and a Count Matthioli, Secretary of State 
to Charles III., Duke of Mantua, is thought by M. Delort 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


85 


in a later publication, to have been the victim. The Right 
Honorable Apgar Ellis (afterward Lord Dover), in an inter¬ 
esting narrative, endeavors to prove Matthioli to have been 
the person. The mask, it seems, was not made of iron, but 
of black velvet, strengthened with whalebone, and fastened 
behind the head with a padlock. 

261. Who aided Napoleon to escape from Elba ? 

Count Lavalette, and for this he was condemned to death, 
but escaped from prison in the clothes of his wife, during 
a last interview, December 20, 1815. Sir Robert Wilson, 
Michael Bruce, Esq., and Captain J. H. Hutchinson, were 
convicted of aiding the escape, and sentenced to three 
months’ imprisonment in the French capital, April 24, 1810. 
Lavalette was permitted to return to France in 1820, and 
died in retirement, in 1830. 

262. What were the Lemures ? 

The ancients supposed that the soul, after death, wan¬ 
dered over the world, and disturbed the peace of the living. 
The happy spirits were called Lares familiares , and the 
unhappy, Lemures. The Roman festival called Lemuralia , 
kept on May 9, 11, 13, was instituted by Romulus about 
747 b. C., probably to propitiate the spirit of the slaughtered 
Remus. 


263. What was the origin of Lynch Law ? 

A punishment inflicted by private individuals, independ¬ 
ently of the legal authorities, is said to derive its name from 
John Lynch, a farmer, who exercised it upon the fugitive 
slaves and criminals dwelling in the “Dismal Swamp,” 
North Carolina, when they committed outrages upon persons 
and property which the colonial law could not promptly 


86 QtnzzisM; and its key. 

repress. This mode of administering justice began about 
the end of the seventeenth century, and is still practised 
occasionally in some parts of our country. 

264. What were the hTemean Games ? 

The games celebrated at Nemea, in Achaia, which were 
originally instituted by the Argives in honor of Archemorus, 
who died by the bite of a serpent; Hercules some time 
afterward renewed them, 1226 B. c. The conqueror was 
rewarded with a crown of olives, afterward of green parsley, 
in memory of the adventure of Archemorus, whom his 
nurse laid down on a sprig of that plant. They were 
celebrated every third year, or, according to some authori¬ 
ties, on the first and third year of every Olympiad, 122G 
B. C. They were revived by the Emperor Julian, A. D. 362, 
but ceased in 396. 

265. When was the massacre at Paoli ? 

On the night of the twentieth of September, 1777, a 
corps of fifteen hundred Americans, under General Wayne, 
were attacked in their camp, near the Paoli tavern, in Penn¬ 
sylvania, by a party of British and Hessians under General 
Greig, and about three hundred of them were killed or 
mortally wounded in the gloom. Fifty-three of them were 
found upon the ground the next morning, and were buried 
in one grave. A marble monument stands over that 
sepulchre. 

266. When was the first feat of pedestrianism ? 

Euchidas, a citizen of Platsea, went from thence to Delphi 
to bring the sacred fire. This he obtained, and returned 
With it the same day before sunset, having travelled one 




QtJIZZXSM; AND ITS KEY. 


ST 

hundred, and twenty-five miles. No sooner had he saluted 
his fellow-citizens and delivered the fire, than he fell dead at 
their feet. The courier Phidippides ran from Athens to 
Sparta to ask for aid, before the battle of Marathon. He 
ran one hundred and fifty miles in forty-eight hours. 

267. Who was Peter the Wild Boy ? 

A savage creature found in the forest of Hertswold, 
electorate of Hanover, when George I. and his friends were 
hunting. He was found walking on his hands and feet, 
climbing trees like a squirrel, and feeding on grass and 
moss, November, 1725. At this time he was supposed to be 
thirteen years old. The king caused him to taste of all the 
dishes at the royal table; but he preferred wild plants, 
leaves, and the bark of trees, upon which he had lived from 
his infancy. No efforts of the many philosophic persons 
about court could entirely vary his savage habits, or cause 
him to utter one distinct syllable. He died February, 1785, 
at the age of seventy-two. Lord Monboddo represented 
him to be a proof of the hypothesis that “ man in a state of 
nature is a mere animal.” 

268. For what is Norfolk Island noted ? 

As the residence of the descendants of the ten mutineers 
from the ship Bounty who were discovered accidentally 
living on Pitcairn’s Island in 1814. The mutineers had 
married some black women from a neighboring island, and 
had become a'singularly well-conducted community under 
the fostering care of Adams, the principal mutineer. 
Obtaining the favor of the English government, through 
their priest, the Bev. Mr. Nobbs, thej r were removed, with 
all their property, in the ship Morayshire , on May 3, and 
landed, after a boisterous passage, on Norfolk Island with 


88 


qtjizzism; And its key. 


two thousand sheep, four hundred and fifty head of cattle, 
and twenty horses, and stores given to them to last twelve 
months; their numbers were ninety-six males and one 
hundred and two females. 

269. Where is Pompey’s Pillar ? 

It stands about three quarters of a mile from Alexandria, 
between the city and Lake Mareotis. The shaft is fluted, 
and the capital ornamented with palm-leaves; the whole, 
which is highly polished, composed of three pieces, and of 
the Corinthian order. The column measures, according to 
some, ninety-four feet; and others, one hundred and forty- 
one, and even one hundred and sixty feet; but of its origili, 
name, use, and age, nothing is certain. It is, however, 
generally believed that the column has no reference to 
Pompey, to whom a mark of honor was nevertheless set up 
somewhere in that part of the world. 

270. Who was Pope Joan ? 

It is asserted that in the ninth century, a female named 
Joan conceived a violent passion for a young monk named 
Felda, and in order to be admitted into his monastery, 
assumed the male habit. On the death of her lover she 
entered upon the duties of professor, and, being very 
learned, was elected pope, when Leo 1Y. died, in 855. 
Other scandalous particulars follow; and Gibbon writes: 
“Yet until the Reformation, the tale was repeated and 
believed without offense”; and “A most palpable forgery 
is the passage of Pope Joan, which has been foisted into 
some MSS. and editions of the Roman Anastasius. The two 
years of Joan’s imaginary reign are forcibly inserted 
between Leo IY. and Benedict III. But the contemporary 
Anastasius indissolubly links the death of Leo and the 







QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


89 


elevation of Benedict, and the accurate chronology of Pagi, 
Muratori, and Leibnitz fixes both events in the year 857.” 
There are many notes and opinions on this much-discussed 
subject antagonistic to Gibbon’s idea. Moray du Plesis 
writes in his commentaries of Damascus, Pandulfe, and 
Pisa, that he had seen the woman’s name inserted in the 
margin between Leo IV. and Benedict III. Petrarch affirmed 
the existence of a female pope as a certain fact, calling her 
Johannem Anglicum (from the theory that she was the 
daughter of an English couple), and adds that she was 
not entered in the catalogue of popes because she was 
a woman. Boccaccio also names her among the list of 
famous or illustrious women. 

271. Where was Rosamond’s Bower ? 

Rosamond was daughter of Lord Clifford, and mistress 
of Henry II. about 1154. A conspiracy was formed by the 
queen, Prince Henry, and his other sons, against the king, 
on account of his attachment to her. Henry kept her in a 
labyrinth at Woodstock, where his queen, Eleanor, it is 
said, discovered her apartments by the clew of a silk thread, 
and poisoned her. She was buried at Godstow church, 
from whence Hugh, bishop of Lincoln, had her ashes 
removed, 1191. 

272. What was the immediate cause of the “ Sicilian 
Vespers ” ? 

On Easter Monday, the chief conspirators had assembled 
at Palermo (in furtherance of their design against Charles 
of Anjou, as the French had become hateful to the Sicilians), 
and, while the French were engaged in festivities, a Sicilian 
bride happened to pass by with her train. She was observed 
by one Drochet, a Frenchman, who began to use her rudely, 


90 


quizzism; and its key. 


under pretense of searching for arms. A young Sicilian, 
exasperated at this affront, stabbed him with his own 
sword; and a tumult ensuing, two hundred French were 
instantly murdered. The enraged populace now rai} 
through the city, crying out: “ Let the French die ! ” and, 
without distinction of rank, age, or sex, slaughtered all of 
that nation they could find. 

273. What three joyous messages did Philip of 
Macedon receive in one day ? 

At the falling of Potidea a courier brought him the news 
of the birth of his son, Alexander the Great, and two 
other messengers reached his camp announcing that his 
racehorse had gained the prize at the games, and that 
Parmenio, his captain, had defeated the Illyrians. 

274. How did “Yankee Doodle” originate? 

The air and words are as old as Cromwell’s time, with 
the exception that Yankee Doodle was then Nankee Doodle, 
for it was Cromwell that u stuck a feather in his hat,” when 
going into Oxford with a single plume fastened in a knot 
called macaroni. The tune was known in New England 
before the Revolution as Lydia Fisher's Jig , and there were 
verses to it commencing: — 

“ Lucy Locket lost her pocket, 

Lydia Fisher found it, 

Not a bit of money in it, 

Only binding round it.” 

The regulars in Boston, in 1775 and 1776, are said to have 
sung verses to the same air: — 

“ Yankee Doodle came to town, 

For to buy a firelock; 

We will tar and feather him, 

And so we will John Hancock,” etc. 



QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


91 


The maimer in which the tune came to be adopted by the 
Americans is shown in the following letter of the Rev. W. 
Gordon. Describing the battles of Lexington and Concord, 
he writes : “ The brigade under Lord Percy marched out [of 
Boston] playing, by way of contempt, Yankee Doodle; they 
were afterwards told they had been made to dance it.” 

275. When did pantaloons come in fashion ? 

A kind of tight trousers fitting the knee and leg, came 
into fashion about 1790, and were so called; the name, how¬ 
ever, existed long before, but meant loose trousers, such, 
perhaps, as were worn by the “lean and slippered 
pantaloon ” of Shakespeare, and probably by the pantaloons 
of the stage. “ The pantaloon,” says Evelyn (Tyrannus; or, 
the J/ode), “are too exorbitant, and of neither sex.” They 
were “ set in plaits ” not, it seems, unlike the fashion of 
Cossack trousers, which came into fashion in Europe after 
the French campaigns to Russia, and still more after the 
Russian campaigns into France. 

276. From whom did the Bonapartes adopt the name 
of Napoleon ? 

They are said to have adopted the name from Napoleon 
des Ursins, a distinguished character in Italian story, with 
one of whose descendants they became connected by mar¬ 
riage; and the first of the family to whom it was given 
was a brother of Joseph Bonaparte, the grandfather of 
Napoleon. 

277. Who is the author of the saying : “ Speech was 
given to man to conceal his thoughts ” ? 

Research has proved that the germ of the thought occurs 
in Jeremy Taylor j that Lloyd and South improved upon it; 


92 


quizzism; and its key. 


that Butler, Young, and Goldsmith repeated it; that Vol¬ 
taire translated it into French; that Talleyrand echoed 
Voltaire’s words; and that it has now become so familiar 
an expression that any one may quote it, as Lord Holland 
has done, without being at the trouble of giving his 
authority. 

278. When were the Stars and Stripes adopted ? 

Congress, on the fourteenth of June, 1777, “Resolved, 
That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen 
stripes, alternately red and white; that the Union be 
thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new 
constellation.” As to the origin of the combination, and 
who first suggested the idea, some have supposed that it 
might have been derived from the arms of General Wash¬ 
ington, which contain three stars in the upper portion, and 
three bars running across the escutcheon. There is no 
means of knowing at this day whether this conjecture is 
correct, but the coincidence is rather striking. There were 
several flags used before this striped flag. In March, 1775, 
“a union flag with a red field” was hoisted at New Y'ork 
upon the liberty pole, bearing the inscription “ George Rex 
and the liberties of America,” and upon the reverse, “No 
Popery.” On the eighteenth of July, 1778, General Putnam 
raised, at Prospect Hill, a flag bearing on one side the 
(then) motto of Massachusetts (now of Connecticut), “Qui 
transtulit sustinet' 1 '’ (“ He who transplanted, still sustains”), 
on the other, “An appeal to Heaven.” In October of the 
same year the floating batteries at Boston had a flag with 
the latter motto, the field white with a pine-tree upon it. 
This was the Massachusetts emblem. Another flag, used 
during 1775, in some of the colonies, had upon it a rattle¬ 
snake coiled as if about to strike, with the motto, “ Don’t 
tread on me.” (Present emblem of South Carolina.) The 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


93 


grand union flag of thirteen stripes was raised on the 
heights near Boston, January 2, 1776. Letters sent from 
there state that the “regulars” did not understand it; and 
as the king's speech had just been sent to the Americans, 
they thought the new flag was a token of submission. The 
idea of making each stripe for a State was adopted from 
the first; and the fact goes far to negative the supposition 
that the private arms of Washington had anything to do 
witli the subject. The pine-tree, rattlesnake, and striped 
flags were used indiscriminately until June, 1777, when the 
blue union with the stars was added to the stripes, and 
the flag established by law. Formerly a new stripe was 
added for each new State admitted to the Union, until the 
flag became too large, when, by act of Congress, the stripes 
were reduced to the old thirteen; and now a star is added 
to the union at the accession of each new State. 

• 279. Who was the author of the expression, “The 
three Rs ” ? 

This phrase is generally referred to Sir William Curtis, 
Baronet, Lord Mayor in 1795, and for thirty-six years 
Alderman, of the Ward of Tower. He gave a toast at a 
dinner, “ The three Ks.” Although a man of limited educa¬ 
tion, he was very shrewd, and not so ignorant as to suppose 
his presumed orthography was corregt. He chose the 
phrase in the above form purely for a jocular reason. 

280. What are the “fifteen decisive battles of the 
world ” ? 

As given by E. S. Creasy, m.a., they are: 1. Marathon 
(b. C. 490;, where the ten thousand Greeks under Miltiades 
defeated Darius the Persian, with his one hundred thousand 
men, and turned the tide of Asiatic invasion. 2. Sj r racuse 






94 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


(b.c. 413), in which the Athenian power was broken, and 
the extension of Greek domination prevented. 3. Arbela 
(b.C., October 1, 331), by which Alexander overthrew 
Darius and introduced European habits into Asia. 4. The 
Metaurus (b.c. 207), in which the Romans defeated Han¬ 
nibal, and Carthage came to ruin. 5. Victory of Arminius 
(a. d. 9), in which the Gauls overthrew the Romans under 
Varus, and established the independence of Gaul. 6. Cha¬ 
lons (A. d. 451), in which Attila, the u Scourge of God,” was 
defeated by Actius, and Europe saved from utter devasta¬ 
tion. 7. The Battle of Tours (a.d. 732), in which Charles 
Martel overthrew the Saracens, and broke from Europe the 
Mohammedan yoke. 8. Hastings (a.d. 1066), by which 
William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, became pos¬ 
sessed of the English crown. 9. Orleans (a.d. 1429), b}^ 
which Joan of Arc (Joan Dare) raised the siege of the city, 
and secured the independence of France. 10. The Defeat of 
the Spanish Armada (a. d. 1588), which crushed the hopes 
of Spain, and of the papacy in England. 11. Blenheim 
(A. d. 1704), when Marlborough defeated Tallard, and broke 
off the ambitious schemes of Louis XIV. 12. Pultowa 
(a. d. 1709), in which Charles XII. of Sweden was defeated 
by Peter the Great, of Russia, and the stability of the 
Muscovite empire established. 13. Saratoga (a.d. 1777), in 
which Burgoyne was defeated, and the result of the Amer¬ 
ican Revolution virtually decided by France becoming the 
ally of the Americans. 14. Valmy (A. d. 1792,) in which the 
allied armies under the Duke of Brunswick were defeated by 
the French Revolutionists, and the revolution was suffered 
to continue. 15. Waterloo (a.d. June 18, 1815), in which 
Wellington defeated Napoleon, Every man who served in 
the British army at this battle was credited with two years’ 
service for the work of that day. Among the decisive 
battles of more recent date are Gettysburg (July 1-3, 


quizzism; and its key. 


95 


1863), in the Civil War, and Sedan (September 1, 1870), in 
the Franco-Prussian war. From the former dated the 
decline of the Confederacy, and the latter resulted in 
the capture of Napoleon III. mid his army. 

281. What was the Mons Meg ? 

A monstrous gun, several centuries old, formed of bars 
of iron, secured by great iron hoops, placed in the Castle of 
Edinburgh, on a lofty platform which overlooks a broad 
valley. The balls which this gun carried are more than 
a foot in diameter. It is now disabled, having been burst, 
many years ago, and injured beyond the possibility of 
repair. 

282. Who was called “ the golden king ” ? 

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden was, and is, popularly 
called Guldkungen (the golden king), on account of his 
yellow hair and fair complexion. 

283. Where is the Blue River ? 

The chief river of Abyssinia is the Bahr-el-azrek (Blue 
River), so called from the mud which it carries down. 

284. What is the derivation of u Cameo ” ? 

The true etymology of this much-disputed word, in 
Henry lll.’s time written Camahut , is to be sought in the 
Persian word Camahen , lodestone or fibrous haematite, the 
usual material for Babylonian cylinders, and in use there 
down to the times of the Cufic signets. The Arabs knowing 
no other motive for the engraving of stones than their 
conversion into talismans, gave the name of the one most 
frequently used to the whole class; and the Crusaders 
introduced it into all European languages in this sense. 


96 


quizzism; and its key . 


Matthew Paris has “ lapides quos cameos vulgariter appel- 
lamus' ,, (“Stones which we commonly call cameos,” — 
cameo being an Italian word), which marks its foreign 
origin. 

285. What was the fate of Louis XVII. ? 

The unhappy prince was put in charge of a wretch (on 
the execution of his father, January 21, 1793), by the name 
of Simon, a cobbler, with the instruction that he was to see 
that the “ dauphin had a short life.” Accordingly, by the 
most severe treatment, by beating, cold, vigils, fasts, and 
ill-usage of every kind, he sank to the grave, dying on the 
eighth day of June, 1795. 

286. Who was the “Hermit of Niagara Falls ” ? 

Francis Abbot, drowned while bathing in tho river on 
the tenth of June, 1831. A native of England, of Quaker 
parentage, he arrived at the falls in June, 1829, on foot, in 
a very singular costume, and after a week’s residence 
became so fascinated with the place that he determined on 
fixing his abode on Goat Island. He sought seclusion, and 
wished to erect a hut, but the proprietor not thinking 
proper to grant his request, he took a small room in the 
only house, where he was occasionally furnished with 
bread and milk by the family, but more generally providing, 
and always cooking, his own food. In the second winter of 
his residence, the house changed tenants, at which he 
quitted the island and built himself a small cottage on the 
main shore, about thirty rods below the falls. He was 
a person of highly cultivated mind and manners, a master 
of languages, and deeply read in the arts and sciences, and 
performed on various musical instruments with great taste; 
his drawings also were very spirited. He had travelled over 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


m 


Europe and parts of the East, and possessed great collo¬ 
quial powers when inclined to be sociable. On entering his 
hut his guitar, violin, flutes, music-books, and portfolio 
were scattered around in profusion; but not a single written 
paper of any kind was found to throw the least light on 
this extraordinary character. 

287. What King of England died in his carriage ? 

George I. died in his carriage near Osnaburgh, in Ger¬ 
many, on the eleventh of June, 1727, aged sixty-eight. 
He was the first king of England of the house of Brunswick, 
and had reigned thirteen years. 

288. Who were the “ American daughters of 
liberty ” ? 

A society formed in Philadelphia on the thirteenth of 
June, 1780, for the purpose of supplying the soldiers witii 
clothing. The city was divided into ten districts, and four 
appointed to each district to solicit subscriptions. Their 
donations amounted to two thousand and thirty shirts, 
and they obtained seventy-seven shirts and three hundred 
and eighty pairs of socks from New Jersey. 

289. What king became a cook ? 

On the sixteenth of June, 1487, was the Battle of Stoke, 
England. Lambert Simnel, who had been crowned in 
Ireland, received the king’s pardon, and was made a scullion 
in the royal kitchen. 

290. When did Sir John Falstaff drop his thirsty 
lance ? 

At the battle of Patray in France, June 18, 1429, when 
considering “discretion the better part of valor,” he ran 


98 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


away. The English under Talbot were defeated by Joan of 
Arc, with the loss of fifteen hundred slain and ten hundred 
taken prisoners. 

291. For what is John Cleves Symmes remembered? 

For the enthusiasm with which he maintained the theory 

that the earth was hollow, with an opening at each of the 
poles. He died in 1829. 

292. What rent did Lord Baltimore pay for the 
patent of Maryland ? 

The patent of Maryland, designed for George Calvert, 
Lord Baltimore, was, on his decease, filled up to his son, 
Cecilius Calvert. When King Charles signed it (1632), he 
gave to the new patent the name of Maryland, in honor of 
his queen, Henrietta Maria. Lord Baltimore held it of the 
crown of England as part of Windsor Manor paying yearly, 
forever, two Indian arrows. 

293. Who was the executioner of Charles I. ? 

Richard Brandon, the hereditary hangman, who died in 

misery. He was interred the next day, amidst execrations 
and insults, which he could not feel. 

294. Where were fifteen hundred persons trampled 
to death ? 

At the fete given in celebration of the marriage of Louis 
XVI. of France, on the twenty-first of June, 1770. 

295. What became of Romulus ? 

He disappeared on the “ nones,” during the quirinalia , in 
ft chariot of fire, patriis equis , as he was reviewing his 
people, July 7, 715 B.C. There seems to be no other way of 



QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


99 


explaining this account, than that he was a victim of some 
of the elements. 

296. Who was Jeanne Hachette ? 

A heroine who, with her regiment of women, immortal¬ 
ized herself at the siege of Beauvais, France, when invested 
by Charles the Bold, Duke of Normandy, with an army of 
eighty thousand men. The siege was raised on the tenth 
of July, 1472, and an anniversary is still held on this day in 
memory of the famous Jeanne. 

297. Who assassinated William, Prince of Orange ? 

Balthazar Gerard, a Burgundian, shot the prince through 
the head as he was going out of his palace at Delft, in July, 
1584. The assassin was put to death by. the Dutch; but his 
parents were ennobled and richly rewarded by Philip II. of 
Spain. Philip had offered a reward for the prince’s murder, 
and five separate attempts had been made previously to kill 
him. 


298. Where is Trajan’s floating palace ? 

It was sunk in Lake Nemi, Italy, in the j^ear 195. Ex¬ 
plored by Marchi in a diving-machine On the fifteenth of 
July, 1535, it was found in a tolerable state of preservation, 
measuring five hundred feet in length, two hundred and 
seventy in breadth, and sixty in depth. This magnificent 
work was designed for the retirement of a prince celebrated 
for his magnificent taste, and were it possible to rescue it 
from its present position, or examine the interior, many 
valuable relics might be brought to light, to enrich the 
cabinet of the antiquarian, if not to subserve the use of 
science. 


100 


quizzism; and its key. 


299. What “ rustic lovers ” have been made famous 
by Pope, Thomson, and Gray ? 

John Hewet and Sarah Drew, struck dead by lightning, 
July 31, 1718, while under the shelter of a haycock, in 
England, and upon whose graves the poets have scattered 
flowers. Pope’s epitaph on the couple is: “Near this 
place lie the bodies of John Hewet and Sarah Drew, an 
industrious young man and virtuous maiden of this Parish, 
who, being at Harvest-Work, were in an instant killed by 
lightning, the last day of July, 1718.” Part of Pope’s 
verses are: — 

“ Think not by rigorous judgment seized 
A pair so faithful could expire: 

Victims so pure Heaven saw well pleased, 

And snatched them in celestial fire.” 

John had covered Sarah with hay, and was found with 
his arm around her neck, as if to protect her. Their parents 
had that morning consented to their marriage, to take place 
the next Sunday. They were buried the next day in 
Oxfordshire, and Lord Harcourt built a monument to them. 


300. What were the first American vessels to cir¬ 
cumnavigate the globe ? 

The ship Columbia , Captain Gray, and sloop Washington , 
which sailed from Boston for the northwest coast of Amer¬ 
ica and China on August 9, 1787. They returned in 1790. 

301. How was the Liberty Tree of Boston con¬ 
secrated ? 

By exposing on it the effigies of the men who had ren¬ 
dered themselves odious by their agency in procuring the 
passage of the Stamp Act. A copper plate thirty inches by 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


101 


forty-two was fixed upon it, bearing the inscription in 
golden letters, The Tree of Liberty, August 14 , 1765. Ten 
years afterwards the British cut it down, at which time 
it had been planted one hundred and nineteen years. They 
left nothing but the stump above ground,—the root they 
could not exterminate. It produced fourteen cords of 
wood. One of the party engaged in demolishing it lost his 
life. 

302. When was the first play performed in America ? 

On September 5, 1752, at Williamsburgh, then the capital 
of Virginia. The piece was The Merchant of Venice, and the 
evening’s entertainment closed with Lethe, written by Gar¬ 
rick. Thus Shakespeare had the first place, in time as in 
merit, as the dramatist of the Western world, and Garrick 
the honor of attending on his master. Lewis Hallam made 
his 41 first appearance on any stage” at this performance. 
He had one line to speak, apparently an easy task; but 
when he found himself in the presence of the audience he 
was panic-struck; he stood motionless and speechless, until, 
at last, bursting into tears, he walked off the stage, making 
a most inglorious exit. It is scarcely necessary to add that 
he was afterwards the hero and favorite in tragedy and 
comedy for nearly half a century. 

303. Wliat became of Henry Hudson’s crew ? 

They were picked up, September 1, 1611, by a fisherman, 
being in a wretched condition. Their best sustenance left, 
while on their voyage, was seaweed fried with candles’ ends, 
and the skins of fowls. They were in such a state of 
starvation that only one of them had strength to lie on the 
helm and steer the ship. It appears that they had quarreled 
among themselves, and met with a fearful retribution. 


102 


quizzism; AND its key. 


304. Who wrote two hundred and seventy-eight 
poems before the age of seventeen ? 

Lucretia Maria Davidson, an American poetess, who died 
August 27, 1825, before completing her seventeenth year. 
Of her poems, some of which were written at the age of 
nine years, Amir Khan is the principal one. 

305. When was a Governor of Delaware taken 
prisoner ? 

On the night of September 12, 1776, when Washington 
with the remains of his army entered Philadelphia, after his 
disastrous defeat at Brandywine, a party of British soldiers 
made an excursion to Wilmington, took the Governor of 
Delaware out of his bed, and captured a shallop richly 
laden with public and private property, and the public 
records. 

306. When was the first English child horn in 
America ? 

On August 18, 1587, at Roanoke Island. She was the 
granddaughter of White, the Governor, and was baptized 
on the following Sabbath, by the name of Virginia (Dare). 

307. What monarch was obliged to beg his bread ? 

Frederick IV. of Germany, who died September 7, 1493. 
He was a weak, indolent, and superstitious monarch, who 
saw his subjects revolt with indifference, and was after¬ 
ward reduced to beggary. 

308. Who built a bridge of boats across the Hudson ? 

General Burgoyne, having collected about thirty days’ 

provisions, crossed the Hudson on the bridge of boats 


QTTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


103 


thrown across the river by his soldiers, on September 14, 
1777, and encamped on the heights and plains of Saratoga. 

309. Whose head was fixed on London Bridge ? 

Gerald Fitzgerald, sixteenth earl of Desmond, suffered 
attainder and forfeiture of 574,628 acres. His head was 
fixed on the bridge. 

310. How was the Parthenon destroyed ? 

The Venetians under Morosini bombarded Athens, Sep¬ 
tember 28, 1687, when a bomb fired the powder magazine 
kept by the Turks in the Parthenon. This noble building, 
which had stood almost two thousand years, and was then 
nearly perfect, was by this calamity reduced to a ruin, and 
with it perished the ever memorable remains of the genius 
of Phidias. In attempting to remove the chariot of victory, 
which stood on the west pediment of the Parthenon, it fell 
and was dashed to pieces. 

311. Where did Columbus meet his brother? 

At the town of Isabella, in the West Indies, on September 
29, 1494, after a separation of fourteen years, during which 
the latter had paid an unsuccessful visit to the court of 
England. 

312. Why was Columbus obliged to promise his crew 
that he would return in case land was not discovered in 
three days ? 

The ship Nina, rigged with lateen sails and usually ahead 
of the others, supposing she had discovered land on October 
7, 1492, hoisted her flag, and fired a Lombardo. This was 
soon found to be an illusion; insubordination broke forth 



104 


qtjizzism; and its key. 


among the crews, when Columbus, with the two Pinzons, 
commanders, was compelled to enter into this agreement 
with the murmurers. 

313. When did an eclipse terminate a battle ? 

On September 30, 610 B.C., the Lydians and Medes had 
just begun a battle, when an eclipse of the sun (foretold b}' 
the skill of Thales) spread darkness over the scene. The 
furious combatants paused in the heat of the onset, and 
gazed in mute terror at the heavens. A dark pall seemed 
to be hung over the sun, to signify the displeasure of the 
gods. These warlike nations, ignorant of the true cause of 
the phenomenon, and trembling at the fear of speedy 
judgment, hastened to ratify a peace. An alliance was 
formed between the contending parties, the daughter of 
Alyattes the Lydian king, and sister to Croesus, was 
affianced to Astyages, son of Cyaxares; and the two 
monarchs, to render the contract binding, opened a vein in 
their arms and licked each other's blood. There is much 
doubt existing concerning the correct date of this noted 
battle. Many writers say an eclipse of the sun prevented 
a battle, but in Taylor’s Manual of Ancient History , p. 62, it 
is stated: “ The most memorable event of this war, which 
lasted five years, was the total eclipse of the sun, that took 
place in the midst of a battle, and so alarmed the contending 
parties that both the Medes and the Lydians fled in confusion 
from the field. A peace was soon after concluded.” 

Rawlinson in his Ancient History (Harper’s ed., p. 52) 
is self-contradictory. He writes, that Alyattes, son of 
Sadyattes, made peace with Miletus, b.c. 620. Carried on 
defensive war against Cyaxares of Media, b.c. 615 to 610; 
died 568. He also states that Alyattes reigned 49 years: 
609 to 560 B.C., when Croesus succeeded, 560 to 546 B.C. 


qxjizzism; and its key. 


105 


Again on same page: “Croesus was conquered by Cyrus, 
554 B.C. 

Professor Olmstead in Letters on Astronomy states that 
the eclipse was about 600 b.c. Steele’s Astronomy says the 
eclipse Thales predicted was May 28, 584 B.C. If so, there 
was a similar one in that region 602 b.c. Conflicting 
statements considered, the date 602 b.c. bears the best 
authority. The date 610 b.c. is given, as is well known, in 
several text-books, and for such reason is allowed to remain 
in the original statement. 

314. Who became an officer in the English army at 
the age of eleven ? 

Major-General Charles Lee, who joined the American 
army at the outbreak of the Revolution, but was suspended 
after the battle of Monmouth, dying in Philadelphia on 
October 2, 1782. He distinguished himself in 1762 under 
Burgoyne in Portugal. 

315. When was the first commencement held at 
Harvard College ? 

In 1G42, on the ninth day of October, when nine candi¬ 
dates took the degree of a.b. 

316. Where is Mount Galongoon ? 

On the island of Java. An eruption of this mountain 
occurred on the eighth of October, 1822, when immense 
columns of boiling hot mud, mixed with burning brimstone, 
were projected from its top like a water-spout with such 
prodigious violence that large quantities fell at the distance 
of forty miles. Between the hours of two and five in the 
afternoon, a fruitful and thickly-peopled country was laid 


106 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


under a crust of boiling mud, in some places to the depth 
of sixty feet. Five million coffee-trees were destroyed, 
eighty-seven canals, numerous rice-fields, one hundred and 
fourteen villages, and upwards of four thousand inhabitants. 
The scene presented a bluish, half-liquid waste, where 
bodies of men, women, and children, partly boiled and 
partly burned, were strewed about in every variety of death. 
It was followed by a rainstorm of four days’ duration, 
which inundated the country, when another eruption took 
place, more violent than the first. 

317. When was an infant the only human being 
saved at the destruction of a city ? 

A deluge in the island of Madeira, on the ninth of 
October, 1803, swept the city of Funchal, with all its 
inhabitants, into the ocean, leaving the rocky basis of the 
island bare. An infant was the only human being that 
escaped. The event is supposed to have been occasioned 
by a water-spout, which had burst against the side of the 
mountain, and discharged itself down the declivities upon 
the fated city. 

318. Who was the first slave-trader ? 

Sir John Hawkins sailed from Plymouth, England, Octo¬ 
ber 18, 1564, with four vessels for the African coast; and 
this was the first slave-trade adventure and the opening 
of that infernal commerce. The negroes were taken to 
Hispaniola and sold to the Spaniards. 

319. How was Bonaparte’s life saved by an intoxi¬ 
cated coachman ? 

The tenth of October, 1800, is noted in Paris as the day 
that an infernal machine was exploded, intended to have 


QUTZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


107 


destroyed Napoleon as he proceeded to the opera. The 
coachman, being intoxicated, drove faster than was his 
custom, and the engine exploded half a minute after the 
carriage had passed, killing twenty persons, wounding fifty- 
three, and shattering the windows on both sides of the street. 

320. Who used drinking vessels formed of human 
skulls ? 

Columbus discovered the island of Guadaloupe, the 
largest of the Carib or Cannibal Islands, called by tin, 
natives Carucueria, on November 4, 1493. The drinking 
vessels of this fierce people were formed of human skulls. 

321. Upon what day did the Flood begin ? 

According to Polyhistor, from Berosus, it began upon th< 
fifteenth, or the ides, of the Assyrian month Doesia , whicl 
corresponds with November 9, 2348 b.c. This event was 
prefigured to the patriarch in a vision, when the Deity 
enjoined him to commit to writing a history of all things, 
which he was to bury in the City of the Sun, at Sippara. 
The same uninspired authority informs us that Noah was 
the tenth king of Chaldea, and that he reigned eighteen 
sari. 

322. Where was the u Royal dance of Torches 99 ? 

At Berlin, Germany, on the occasion of the marriage of 
the prince royal with the Princess of Bavaria, December 3, 
1821. 

323. Who was the Prussian Leonidas. 

Wedel, who with a single battalion of Prussians disputed 
the passage of the Elbe at Solnitz, for five hours against 
the whole Austrian army; and, under the fire of fifty 


108 QUXZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


cannon, thrice repulsed the Austrian grenadiers, on Novem¬ 
ber 19, 1744. Wedel lost two officers and one hundred men. 

324. When was St. Paul shipwrecked ? 

It was a fortnight from the fast and about November 20, 
63, that Paul, by the ocular testimony of Luke, was cast 
upon the shores of Malta, where they wintered three 
months, until the period of navigation in March. Josephus, 
the Jewish historian, was wrecked in the same sea, and in 
or very nearly the same year. 

325. What Pope escaped from prison in diguise ? 

Pope Clement VII., on the sixth of December, 1527, 
although by a treaty with the Emperor Charles V., he 
would have been liberated the following day. 

326. What was called the Eden of America ? 

In referring to the capture of Rhode Island (December 6, 
1776) by the British under General Clinton and Sir Peter 
Parker, an English work states: “ It is called the Eden of 
America , and celebrated (very naturally) for the beauty of 
its women.” 

327. On what condition was a large fortune left to 
the son of Henry Laurens ? 

His property amounting to $250,000 was left to his son 
on condition that he should burn his body on the third day 
after his death. This patriot of South Carolina was distin¬ 
guished for talent and activity, and succeeded Hancock as 
president of Congress. He was captured by the British 
while on a mission to Holland and confined a long time in 
the Tower of London. He died December 8, 1792. 



QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


109 


328. What was the last battle of the Kevolution ? 

It was the twenty-fifth of November, 1783, — a brilliant 
day, — that an excited crowd surged and shouted about Mr. 
Day's tavern in Murray Street, near the road to Greenwich. 
Cunningham, the cruel and vindictive British provost- 
marshal, stood at the foot of the flag-pole, from which 
floated the Stars and Stripes, the flag of the new republic. 
‘Come, you rebel cur,” he shouted to Mr. Day, “I give 
fou two minutes to haul down that rag — I ’ll have no such 
itriped clout as that flying in the faces of his Majesty’s 
forces! ” 

“There it is and there it shall stay,” said Day, quietly 
but firmly. Cunningham turned to his guard. “Arrest 
that man,” he ordered. “ And as for this thing here, I ’ll haul 
it down myself,” and seizing the halyards, he began to 
lower the flag. The crowd broke out into fierce murmurs, 
uncertain what to do. But in the midst of the tumult, the 
door of the tavern flew open, and forth sallied Mrs. Day, 
armed with her trusty broom. 

“ Hands off that flag, you villain, and drop my husband! ” 
she cried, and before the astonished Cunningham could 
realize the situation, the broom came down thwack! thwack! 
upon his powdered wig. Old men still lived, not twenty 
years ago, who were boys in that excited crowd, and re¬ 
membered how the powder flew from the stiff, white wig, 
and how amidst jeers and laughter, the defeated provost- 
marshal withdrew from the unequal contest, and fled before 
^he resistless sweep of Mrs. Day’s all-conquering broom. 

Tt is probable that the original account of this “battle’’ 
is given by Lossing in his Field-Book of the Revolution (vol. 
ii, note 5, p. 838), which is as follows: — 

“ The British claimed the right of possession until noon 
of the day of evacuation. In support of this claim, Cun¬ 
ningham, the infamous provost - marshal exercised his 



110 


quizzism; and its key. 


authority. Dr. Alexander Anderson, of New York, related 
to me an incident which fell under his own observation. He 
was then a lad ten years of age, and lived in Murray, near 
Greenwich, Street. A man who kept a boarding-house 
opposite ran up the American flag on the morning of the 
twenty-fifth. Cunningham was informed of the fact, and 
immediately ordered him to take it down. The man refused, 
and Cunningham attempted to tear it down. At that moment 
the wife of the proprietor, a lusty woman of forty, came out 
with a stout broomstick, and beat Cunningham over the 
head so vigorously, that he was obliged to decamp, and leave 
the ‘ star-spangled banner ’ still waving. Dr. Anderson 
remembers seeing the white powder fly from the provost- 
marshal’s wig. ” 

Another incident happened on this day of an interesting 
nature. 

Sir Guy Carleton, k.c.b., commander-in-chief of all his 
Majesty’s forces in the colonies, stood at the foot of the flag¬ 
staff on the northern bastion of Fort George. Before him 
filed the departing troops of his king, evacuating the pleas¬ 
ant little city that they had occupied for over seven years. 
The waves of the bay sparkled in the sunlight, while the 
whale-boats, barges, gigs, and launches sped over the water, 
bearing troops and refugees to the transports, or to the 
temporary camp on Staten Island. The last act of evacua¬ 
tion was almost completed, and as the commander-in-chief 
and his staff passed down to the boats, to the strains of 
martial music, the red cross of St. George, England's royal 
flag, came fluttering down from its high staff on the northern 
bastion, and the last of the rear-guard wheeled toward the 
ship. But Cunningham, the provost-marshal, still angered 
by the thought of his discomfiture at Day’s tavern, declared 
roundly that no rebel flag should go up that staff in sight of 
King George’s men. “ Come, lively now, you blue jackets! ” 



QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


Ill 


he shouted, turning to some of the sailors from the fleet. 
u Unreeve the halyards, quick; slush down the pole; knock 
off the stepping cleats! Then let them run their flag up if 
they can.’’ 

His orders were quickly obeyed, and the marshal left the 
now liberated city. In a few minutes, Colonel Jackson, 
halting before the flag-staff, ordered up the Stars and Stripes. 

“The halyards are cut, Colonel,” reported the color- 
sergeant; “the cleats are gone, and the pole is slushed.” 

“A mean trick, indeed,” exclaimed the indignant Colonel. 
“ A gold jacobus to him who will climb the staff, and reeve 
the halyards for the Stars and Stripes! ” 

“ I want no money for the job,” said a young sailor-lad, 
as he tried it manfully once, twice, thrice, each time slip¬ 
ping down covered with slush and shame. “ I ’ll fix ’em 
yet,” he said. “ If ye *11 but saw me up some cleats, 1 ’ll run 
that flag to the top in spite of all the Tories from ’Sopus 
to Sandy Hook! ” 

Heady hands came to the assistance of the plucky lad. 
Then, tying the halyards around his waist, and filling his 
jacket pockets with cleats and nails, he worked his way up 
the flag-pole, nailing and climbing as he went. And now he 
reaches the top, now the halyards are rove, and as the 
beautiful flag goes fluttering up the staff, a mighty cheer is 
heard, and a round of thirteen guns salutes the Stars and 
Stripes and the brave sailor boy who did the gallant deed. 

329. When was the first engagement in the Revolu¬ 
tionary war ? 

The blood shed at the battle of Lexington is commonly 
believed and said to be the first drawn in the contest of the 
Colonists with the oppressive authorities of the British 
Government. Aside from the Boston Massacre, which 
occurred March 5, 1770, it will be found by reference to the 


112 


quizzism; and its key, 


records of Orange county, North Carolina, that a body of 
men was formed, called the “ Regulators,” with the view of 
resisting the extortion of Colonel Fanning, clerk of the 
court, and other officers who demanded illegal fees, issued 
false deeds, levied unauthorized taxes, etc.; that these men 
went to the court-house at Hillsboro’, appointed a sehool- 
master named York as clerk, set up a mock judge, and pro¬ 
nounced judgment in mock gravity and ridicule of the court, 
law, and officers by whom they felt themselves aggrieved; 
that, soon after, the house, barn, and outbuildings of the 
judge were burned to the ground; and that Governor Tryon 
subsequently, with a small force, went to suppress the 
Regulators, with whom an engagement took place near 
Alamance Creek, on the road from Hillsboro’ to Salisbury, 
on the sixteenth of May, 1771, — nearly four years before 
the affair of Lexington, — in which nine Regulators and 
twenty-seven militia were killed, and many wounded; four¬ 
teen of the latter being killed by one man, James Pugh, 
from behind a rock. 

330. Who taught a deaf and dumb boy to speak ? 

Samuel Heinicke, a German educator, who was born at 
Nautschiitz, near Weissenfels, April 10, 1729, and died at 
Leipsic, April 30, 1790. At the age of twenty-one, lie 
joined the life-guards of the elector of Saxony, in which he 
served four years, and taught himself Latin and French. 
He afterward engaged in teaching, studied for a time at 
Jena, became a private tutor in Hamburg, and in 1708 
chorister at Eppendorf. He had several years previously 
been successful in teaching deaf mutes, and now taught 
a deaf and dumb boy to speak. Large numbers of deaf 
mutes were consequently put under his care, and his reputa¬ 
tion became so great that the elector of Saxony solicited 
him to return to his native country. He went to Leipsic 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


113 


and on April 14, 1778, opened the first institution for the 
instruction of the deaf and dumb in Germany. He i Iso 
took great interest in public education, and vigorously 
attacked the old system of learning by rote. After his 
death, his wife continued to direct the institution. — Apple- 
ton’s Encyclopaedia. 

In 1653, Dr. John Wallis, mathematical professor at 
Oxford, mentions that he had instructed two deaf mutes to 
articulate distinctly. 

Jonathan Whipple, who was born in Preston, New 
London county, Connecticut, in the year 1794, is called “the 
self-taught teacher of deaf mutes.” He never attended 
school, taught himself, opened school, — becoming a suc¬ 
cessful teacher, — and then instructed a deaf mute to talk. 
He met with much opposition from the teachers of sign- 
language, but- he persevered in his good work and taught 
others additionally as well. If he did not cause the deaf to 
hear, he caused the dumb to talk, and let in encouragement 
and sunlight upon many otherwise desolate lives. 

331. How much older is Delaware than Rhode 
Island ? 

Two years, five months, and twenty-two days, as the 
former ratified, unanimously, the Constitution on December 
7, 1787; the latter, by a majority of two, on May 29, 1790. 

332. Did George Washington ever see a steamboat ? 

James Rumsey, an American inventor, born at Bohemia 
Manor, Cecil county, Maryland, about 1743, died in London, 
England, December 23, 1792. In September 1784, he 
exhibited on the Potomac, in the presence of General Washing¬ 
ton , a boat which worked against the stream by means of 
mechanism. He subsequently gave his attention to steam 


114 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY 1 . 


as a motive power, and in March, 1786, propelled a boat on 
the Potomac by a steam engine, which secured motion by 
the force of a stream of water thrown out by a pump at 
the stern. In December, 1787, the experiment was success¬ 
fully repeated on a larger scale.—Appleton’s Encyclopedia. 

333. Who first proposed a ship canal across the 
Isthmus of Panama ? 

Samuel Champlain, — the founder of Quebec (July 3, 
1608) and the discoverer of the lake (1609) bearing his 
name,—before Virginia was settled. 

334. Why did no person die in England between 
September 3 and September 1.4, 1752? 

Great Britain did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 
September, 1752, when, as eleven days had been lost, it was 
necessary to call the third of September the fourteenth, in 
order to bring the calendar and the seasons once more 
together. Consequently the two days are one and the same. 
This was done by act of Parliament, and leads to what is 
called Old Style and New Style. Prior to that time, the 
year had commenced on the twenty-eighth of March, but it 
was at the passage of the above law enacted that from and 
after the last day of December, 1751, the year should 
commence on the first day of January. This gives rise to 
such dates as 1764-5, etc. And, so long as both styles were 
used, this was necessary to prevent a misunderstanding of 
a whole year. 

335. Which is the largest sea bird known ? 

The Albatross, which weighs from twelve to twenty-eight 
pounds, with wings that are usually eleven feet from tip to 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


115 


tip; bat a specimen in the Leverian museum measures 
thirteen feet, and one was shot off the Cape of Good Hope 
that was seventeen and a half feet in extent. 

336. What is the origin of “ Filibuster ” ? 

Max Muller states that filibuster , the signification of 
which is a freebooter or pirate, is derived from the Spanish 
word filibote , a fast-sailing vessel; and that the Spanish 
word itself is a corruption of the English word flyboat . 
Filibuster is a word of Spanish origin about synonymous 
with buccaneer. In Holland is a little river called Vly , the 
peculiar sailing vessels on which are called filibotes. The 
word filibostero or filibuster was coined from the appellation, 
and became the designation of the adventurers under Lopez, 
who invaded Cuba in 1851. The soldiers of Kinney and 
Walker in Central America were also thus entitled; and 
filibuster became naturalized in colloquial and reporter’s 
English, first as a noun and then as a verb. It is slang, 
however. Filibustering is a cant term much used of late 
years in the legislative assemblies of the United States to 
designate the employment of parliamentary tactics to 
defeat a measure by raising frivolous questions of order, 
calls of the house, motions to adjourn, etc., in order to 
weary out the opposite party, or to gain time. 

337. Why have July and August each thirty-one 
days ? 

In the distribution of the days through the several 
months, Julius Caesar adopted a simpler and more commo¬ 
dious arrangement than that which has since prevailed. He 
had ordered that the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and 
eleventh months, that is, January, March, May, July, Sep¬ 
tember, and November, should each have thirty-one days, 


116 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


and the other months thirty, excepting February, which ir. 
common years should have only twenty-nine, but every 
fourth year, thirty d^iys. This order was interrupted to 
gratify the vanity of Augustus (died a. d. 14), by giving 
the month bearing his name as many days as July, which 
had been named after the first Caesar. A day was taken 
accordingly, from February and given to August; and in 
order that three months of thirty-one days might not come 
together, September and November were reduced to thirty 
days and thirty-one given to October and December. For 
so frivolous a reason was the regulation of Caesar abandoned, 
and a capricious arrangement introduced, which it requires 
some attention to remember. 

338. Who discovered that a copper wire is a magnet 
when a current of electricity flows through it ? 

Arago, in 1820, discovered that while a galvanic current 
is passing through a copper wire it is capable of developing 
magnetism in soft iron, and thus made possible the electro¬ 
magnet. 


339. Is there any word in any language in which 
the letter “ y ” is doubled ? 

We know of none. A very interesting table is given in 
the Smithsonian Reports for 1873, p. 186, as to the number 
of times a letter in different languages doubles itself in 
10,000 words; and of the five languages, English, French, 
Italian, German, and Latin, the spaces for u w,” “x,” and 
“ y ” are left blank. The results given in this investigation 
are of importance in determining the casting of double 
types. The number of occurrences of a given letter in 
10,000 words of any language determines the number of 
types of that letter in a font. 


QttlZZlSM; AND ITS KEY. 


iiT 


340. Why is fresh water sometimes frozen in pipes 
submerged in salt water ? 

Because a lower temperature is required to freeze salt 
water than fresh. Sea water will not freeze at 28° F., but 
fresh water freezes at 32° F., hence salt water outside the 
pipe may remain liquid while fresh water within is frozen. 

341. Where is there an obelisk to Logan ? 

In Fort Hill Cemetery, at Auburn, New York, with the 
inscription: u Who is there to mourn for Logan!” This 
Iroquois chief was born near that city. Close to his 
sepulcher is the burial lot of the Hon. W. II. Seward. 

342. To what 11 plain Quaker ” did the Czar of 
Russia give a diamond ring ? Why ? 

In 1819, Jethro Wood made the first cast-iron plow, and 
the Autocrat of the Russias sent him this testimonial of his 
appreciation of a much-needed invention. 

343. Where are the following historic castles, and 
for what tragic or important event is each one famous: 
Cardiff, Pontefract, Fotheringay, Carisbroohe ? 

Cardiff Castle is on the River Taff in Glamorganshire, and 
from its commanding position has probably been an impor¬ 
tant fortress ever since the Roman occupation of Britain. 
In any case it was a stronghold of the Normans, and here 
Robert, duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the 
Conqueror, was imprisoned twenty-eight years (1106-1134). 
The length of his imprisonment is a mooted question. The 
Encyclopaedia Britannica , 9th ed., vol. v, p. 92, states that 
Robert was kept in Cardiff Castle twenty-six years till he 
died, 1134. Smith, in his smaller History of England , p. 37, 


118 


QTTIZZISM; AND FfS KEY. 


says twenty-eight years. In Freeman’s History of England , 
p. 43, it is stated that Robert died in 1135, and such statement 
is given by many others. Collier, in British History , p. 56, 
writes that Robert was in prison thirty years and died in 
1134. The Duke was defeated at Tenchebrai in HOG, and 
the probability is that twenty-eight years is the correct 
statement. 

Pontefract (pro. Pompret') Castle was the scene of the 
reputed murder of Richard II.; but much doubt hangs over 
that transaction. 

Fotheringay Castle is noted as the birthplace of Richard 
III., and the scene of the imprisonment, trial, and execution 
of Mary, Queen of Scots, in February, 1587. 

Carisbrooke Castle, on the isle of Wight, is said to have 
been a British and Roman fortress, and was taken by Cerdic, 
founder of the kingdom of the West Saxons, in 530. Its 
Norman character has been ascribed to William Fitz- 
Osborne, earl of Hereford, in William I.’s time. Here 
Charles I. was imprisoned in 1647, and here died his 
daughter Elizabeth, aged fifteen, probably of a broken 
heart, September 8, 1650. 

344. What Grq^k woman went to Athens disguised 
as a man to attend the lectures of Plato ? 

Axiothea, who lived about 300 b.c. and also Lasthenia. 

345. Who first conjectured the spheroidal form of 
the earth ? 

It appears that Robert Hooke (July 18, 1635-March 3, 
1703) had conjectured that the figure of the earth might 
be spheroidal before Newton or Iluyghens turned their 
attention to the subject. At a meeting of the Royal 
Society on the twenty-eighth of February, 1678, a dis- 


QtlTZZISM ; AND ITS KEit. 


119 


mission arose respecting the figure of Mercury, which M. 
Gallet, of Avignon, had remarked to be oval on the occa¬ 
sion of the planet's transit across the sun’s disk on the 
seventh of November, 1677. Hooke was inclined to suppose 
that the phenomenon was real, and that it was due to the 
whirling of the planet on an axis, u which made it somewhat 
of the shape of a turnip, or of a solid made by an ellipsis 
turned round upon its shorter diameter.” At the meeting of 
the society on the seventh of March, the subject was again 
discussed. In reply to the objection offered to his hypo¬ 
thesis on the ground of the planet being a solid body, Hooke 
remarked that u although it might now be solid, yet at the 
beginning it might have been fluid enough to receive that 
shape; and that although this supposition should not be 
granted, it would be probable enough that it would really 
run into that shape, and make the same appearance; and that 
it is not improbable but that the water here upon the earth 
might do it in some measure by the influence of the diurnal 
motion, which, compounded with that of the moon, he 
conceived to be the cause of the tides.” 


346. What insects are injurious to hooks and what 
is the remedy ? 

Representatives of not less than six orders of Arthropods 
are more or less injurious. Among the mites, is the common 
Cheyletus eruditus, which attacks paper in damp places. 
Among the Thysanura, the Lepisma saccharina , which is 
found in closets, etc., where provisions are kept, feeds also 
on paper, but leaves untouched that which is covered by 
printing-ink. This species was not known until a few years 
ago to be at all injurious to paper or books. Of the Neurop- 
tera, the termites are injurious to paper and books as well 
as to many other substances. Of the Orthoptera, as is well 


120 


QtfIZZiSH; AHD ITS KEY. 


known, the cockroaches (Blattidae) frequently commit 
considerable ravages. Of the Lepidoptera, the caterpillars 
of Aglossa pinguinalis and Depressaria frequently do damage 
by spinning their webs between the volumes, and also by 
gnawing the paper with which they form their cocoons. 
Among the beetles are several species. The Hypothenemus 
ernditus , a very minute species, excavates tiny burrows 
within the binding. The death-watches ( Anobium pertinax 
and Anobium striatum) surpass in their ravages all other 
species, gnawing and boring not only through the pages of 
the volumes, but also through the binding. M. Peignot 
mentions an instance of twenty-seven folio volumes (in a 
public library but little frequented), which, placed together 
on a shelf, had been so completely drilled, that a string 
might be run through the perfectly round hole made by 
these insects. As an antidote to the attacks of these insects, 
and preventive of such, vaporization is suggested: The 
infected volumes may be placed in a large glass case made 
as close as possible, and therein likewise may be set small 
saucers containing benzine, or a sponge saturated with 
carbolic acid. “ A strong infusion of colocynth and quassia, 
chloroform, spirits of turpentine, expressed juice of green 
walnuts, and pyroligneous acid have also been employed 
successfully. Fumigation on a large scale may also be 
adopted, by filling the room with fumes of brimstone, 
prussic acid, or benzine; or an infected volume may be 
placed under the bell glass of an air-pump, and extracting 
the air, the larvae will be found to be killed after an hour’s 
exhaustion.” 

347. What is the meaning of the word “ Assassin ” ? 

A corruption of the word liashshaslieen , a name applied to 
the notorious military and religious sect that flourished 
under Sheykh-el-Gebel (Old Man of the Mountains), or 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


121 


Hassan. When he required the service of any of his people, 
he first intoxicated them with hasheen or India hemp; and 
when the fumes of the weed had transported them into 
a fools’ paradise, they were ready for any deed of blood. 

348. How far can flying fishes fly? 

C. O. Whitman in an article in the American Naturalist 
demonstrates from actual observation during a voyage from' 
San Francisco to Yokohama that u flying fish do fly,” and 
gives a very interesting and detailed account of their move¬ 
ments while in motion through the air. Professor D. S. 
Jordan also carefully examined the flight of an Exoccetus 
(E. calif or mens') in the waters of Southern California. He 
observed it best “in early morning when both air and 
water were free from motion.” “On rising from the water 
the movements of the tail are continued for some seconds 
until the whole body is out of the water. While the tail is 
in motion the pectorals are in a state of very rapid vibration, 
and the ventrals are folded. When the action of the tail 
ceases, the pectorals and ventrals are spread, and, as far as 
we can see, held at rest. When the fish begins to fall, the 
tail touches the water and the motion of the pectorals 
recommences, and it is enabled to resume its flight, which it 
finally finishes by falling in the water with a splash.” The 
flight was thought to sometimes extend to “ nearly a quarter 
of a mile.” 

349. What Governor of Massachusetts had twenty 
brothers ? 

Sir William Phipps (or Phips), who was one of twenty- 
six children; twenty-one of whom were boys. He was born 
in Woolwich, Maine, February 2, 1651, and died in London, 
February 18,1605. 


122 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


In 1684, he went to England to procure means to recover 
a Spanish treasure-ship wrecked near the Bahamas. With 
a national vessel furnished him by the Admiralty he did not 
succeed; but during a second attempt, for which the means 
were supplied by the Duke of Albemarle, he recovered 
treasure to the amount of £300,000, one twentieth of this 
sum, or £15,000, being given to him as his share. As an 
additional reward he was knighted and appointed “high 
sheriff” of New England. In 1692, through the influence of 
Cotton Mather (1663-1728), he was appointed captain-general 
and governor-in-chief of the province. 

350. Why does a body fall east of a vertical line ? 

A body does not fall in a perfectly vertical direction 
because the point from which it falls, in consequence of its 
greater distance from the earth’s center, describes a greater 
circle than the point to which it falls. It will, therefore, 
strike a point somewhat to the east — about one fourth of 
an inch for a fall of 150 feet. In a fall of five hundred feet, 
in the latitude of Chicago, the distance east of a vertical 
line from the place whence it fell would be about a third of 
an inch. 

351. What is the name of the longest street in 
Paris. 

Rue des Pyrenees, which is 11,345 feet in length; the 
shortest thoroughfare, Rue Brognart, being only seventy- 
five feet in length. 

352. For what is the Tarpeian Rock in Rome noted ? 

Traitors were precipitated headlong from this historic 
rock, during the “ palmy days ” of Rome, being dashed to 
pieces on the rocks below. The level of the ground at the 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


123 


base has so risen within the past dozen centuries that the 
last attempted suicide (for it has become famous for such 
attempts) received only a few bruises. 

353. What American officer of the Revolution was 
kept a prisoner at Jamaica ? 

Colonel William Moultrie, who was born in South Caro¬ 
lina in^731, and died in Charleston, September 27, 1805. In 
the spring of 1780, Charleston was attacked for the third 
time by a strong land and sea force, and Moultrie, who was 
second in command, shared in the capitulation of the 
American troops. While a prisoner, he was approached by 
the British officers with offers of pecuniary compensation 
and the command of a British regiment stationed in Jamaica, 
if he would leave the American service. He replied: 
“Not the fee simple of all Jamaica should induce me to 
part with my integrity.’’ He was made Major-General on 
October 15, 1782. In 1785, he was elected Governor of South 
Carolina, and again in 1794. 

354. To whom were raised 360 brazen statues ? 

Demetrius Phalereus, a distinguished Athenian orator, 
statesman, and writer, who ruled the city for ten years with 
great popularity, was compelled to flee, and all his statues 
were thrown down except one (307 B.C.). He was the last 
of the great orators of Greece. 

355. By whom was Epaminondas wounded ? 

The fatal dart was thrown by the hand of Gryllus, son 
of Xenophon, the historian, and leader of the ten thousand 
Greeks on their retreat from the battle-field of Cunaxa to 
the Black Sea. Gryllus was soon after killed in this battle 
of Mantinea (b.C. 363). Shortly after the javelin was 


124 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


extracted from the breast of Epaminondas he expired, 
exclaiming, “All is well!” 


356. Why is the nine of diamonds called u The curse 
of Scotland ” ? 

There are many solutions to this question; a few are 
given: — «r 

(1) In the distracted state of the country during the 
reign of Mary, a man named George Campbell attempted 
to steal the crown out of Elizabeth Castle. He did not 
succeed in getting away with the crown itself, but did 
manage to abstract nine valuable diamonds, and to get 
off with them out of the country. To replace these, a heavy 
tax was laid upon the people, which, being found burden¬ 
some and oppressive, was by them termed the Curse of 
Scotland; and until quite recently, in certain districts 
of Scotland, the card itself was called “ George Campbell.” 

(2) It is also said that diamonds imply royalty, being 
ornaments to the imperial crown, and every ninth king of 
Scotland has been observed for many ages to be a tyrant, 
and a curse to that country. 

(3) Another explanation relates to the massacre of Glen¬ 
coe. The order for this cruel deed was signed by the eldest 
son of the Earl of Stair, who was at that time Secretary of 
State for Scotland. The coat-of-arms of this family bears 
nine diamonds on its shield; and the indignant people, not 
daring to stigmatize the Lord of Stair as the Curse of 
Scotland, applied the term to his shield. 

(4) .Still another solution, and equally good, relates to the 
battle of Culloden, the result of which extinguished the 
hopes of the Stuarts, and was at that time regarded as a 
national curse. The Duke of Cumberland, who was known 
to be very fond of cards, and who always carried a pack in 


quizzism; and its key. 


125 


his pocket, when he had made his victory of Culloden 
complete, took a card and wrote thereon a despatch 
announcing his victory; and that card proved to be the 
Nine of Diamonds. 

(5) When the Duke of York, who shortly after became 
Janies II., took up his residence at Edinburgh, and enlarged 
the palace of Holyrood, he and his court introduced there 
a new game called “ Cornette,” in which the nine of 
diamonds is the most important card. The Scots, who had 
to learn the game, lost tremendous sums in playing it, and 
from that circumstance the nine of diamonds was called the 
Curse of Scotland. 

(6) It is also stated that on the night preceding the battle 
of Culloden, the Duke of Cumberland sent orders to Gen¬ 
eral Campbell to give no quarter to the soldiers of the 
Pretender; that this order being despatched in great haste, 
happened to be written on a card, and that card the nine of 
diamonds. 

(7) Among old whist-players, the nine of diamonds is 
often called “ the curse of Scotland.” It is probably a 
corruption of the phrase “ Cross of Scotland ” ; and as the 
nine “pips” on the card were formerly printed somewhat 
in the shape of a St. Andrew's cross, there seems reason for 
believing this to be the true origin. 

(8) Some say that the “ nine of diamonds,” in the game 
Pope Juan, is called the pope, the antichrist of the Scotch 
reformers. 

(9) Its origin is owing, it is said, to a Scotch Member of 
Parliament, part of whose family arms was the nine 
of diamonds, having voted for the introduction of the malt 
tax into that country. 

(10) In the Oracle; or, Besolver of Questions, 1770, it is 
stated that the crown of Scotland had but nine diamonds, 
and they were never able to get more. 


126 


quizzism; and its key. 


(11) This card is so called in allusion to the arms of 
Colonel Packer (Gules across lozenge), who guarded 
Charles I. on the scaffold, and was hated for his severities 
in Scotland. 

The story of “ the Butcher Duke” of Cumberland having 
written an order for the execution of a large number of 
Jacobites after the battle of Culloden, or any other 
sanguinary message, has been disproved by Dr. Houstoun. 

357. What is the origin of the phrase : “ A little bird 
told me ” ? 

It is doubtless to be found in Ecclesiastes, x, 20: u Curse 
not the king, no, not in th} r thought; and curse not the rich 
in thy bed-chamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the 
voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.” 

358. Who were “ The Wise Men of Gotham ? ” 

In Thoroton’s Nottinghamshire , vol. i, pp. 42, 43, the 
origin of the general opinion about the wisdom of these 
worthies is thus given, as handed down by tradition: — 

“ King John, intending to pass through Gotham towards 
Nottingham, was prevented by the inhabitants, they appre¬ 
hending that the ground over which a king passed was for 
ever after to become a public road. The king, incensed at 
their proceedings, sent from his court, soon afterwards, 
some of his servants to inquire of them the reason of their 
incivility and ill-treatment, that he might punish them. 
The villagers hearing of the approach of the king’s ser¬ 
vants, thought of an expedient to turn away his majesty’s 
displeasure from them. When the messengers arrived at 
Gotham, they found some of the inhabitants engaged in 
endeavoring to drown an eel in a pool of water; some were 
employed in dragging carts upon a large barn, to shade the 



QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


127 


wood from the sun; and others were engaged in hedging 
a cuckoo, which had perched itself upon an old hush. In 
short, they were all employed upon some foolish way or 
other, which convinced the king's servants that it was a 
village of fools.” 

359. What is meant by the saying, “Caesar’s wife 
must he above suspicion ” ? 

The name of Pompeia, the wife of Julius Caesar, having 
been mixed up with an accusation against P. Clodius, her 
husband divorced her; not, as he said, because he believed 
the charge against her, but because he would have those 
belonging to him as free from suspicion as from crime. 

360. Who is the author of the famous line, “Like 
angels’ visits, few and far between ” ? 

Thomas Campbell (1777-1844), in his Pleasures of Hope , 
writes “Like angel-visits, few and far between,” but he 
evidently copied from Robert Blair (1699-1747), who, in 
The Grave , wrote : — 

“The good he scorned 
Stalked off reluctant, like an illus’d ghost, 

Not to return; or, if it did, in visits 

Like those of angels, short and far between.” 

And a similar line is found in The Parting of John Norris 
(1657-1711): “Like angels' visits, short and bright.” In 
Norris’s Miscellanies , in a poem “ To the memory of my dear 
Neece [sic.], M. C.” (stanza A, p. 10, ed. 1692), are the 
following lines: — 

“ No wonder such a noble mind 
Her way to heaven so soon could find; 

Angels, as’t is but seldom they appear, 

So neither do they make long stay; 

They do but visit, and away.” 


128 


quizzism; and its key. 


361. What is the famous “ lifting experiment ” ? 

A living man, lying on a bench, extended as a corpse, can 
be lifted with ease by the forefingers of two persons standing 
on each side, provided the lifters inhale at the moment the 
effort is being made. This curious fact was recorded by 
Samuel Pepys in his Diary , under the date of July 31, 1C65. 

362. How did “ punch ” derive its name ? 

The following extract is taken from Fryer’s Travels to the 
East Indies , 1672: — 

u At Nerule (near Goa) is made the best arach, or nepa die 
Goa , with which the English on this coast make that ener¬ 
vating liquor called paunch (which is Indostan for five), 
from five ingredients, as the physicians name this compo¬ 
sition diapente ; or from four things, diatesseron .” 

363. What noted chair is there in the Bodleian 
Library, Oxford, England ? 

One made from the ship of Sir Francis Drake, the Ferry 
Boy, who was one of the founders of English naval power, 
the eldest of twelve brothers and the son of a most worthy 
sailor named Edmund Drake. Francis was born at Tavis¬ 
tock, in Devonshire, in the year 1545. He acquired his 
greatest fame by driving back and dispersing the ships of 
the Invincible Armada, which had been fitted out by Philip 
of Spain, to conquer England. After completing the circum¬ 
navigation of the globe, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth 
who dined with the celebrated mariner, on board his ship, 
off Deptford, in the Thames,—at the conclusion of the 
repast. Even to this day the name of Drake is honored 
in Plymouth, and spoken with affection, and his memory 
is drank daily in draughts of crystalline water; for he 
devoted the savings of his life to the construction of an 


QtTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


129 


aqueduct which brings a supply of water from the Tors of 
Dartmouth to the town. He died at sea, near Portobello, 
December 27, 1595, and his body was committed to the 
waters of the great deep, on which so much of his life 
was spent. 

364. What was the sign of a wine-shop at Pompeii ? 

A pig over the door. The middle ages adopted a bush. 
“ Good wine needs no bush,” etc., answering to the gilded 
grapes at a modern vintner’s. The bush is still a common 
sign. At Charles I.’s death a cavalier landlord painted his 
bush black. Then came the modern square sign, formerly 
common to all trades. 

365. What are cutty pipes ? 

The term is Scotch, cutty being a word which means little 
or short. Thus, a little girl is called a cutty; there are 
cutty pipes and cutty spoons; and the readers of Burns need 
not be reminded of the scantily-draped lady who is styled 
cutty-sark. 

366. Who are the three tobacco-takers ? 

The African rock goat — the most loathsome creature on 
earth; the foul tobacco worm; and the rational creature, 
man! So says Dr. Caldwell. 

367. What is the meaning of “ True Blue ” ? 

This is a Spanish phrase, and refers to the notion that real 
aristocratic families have blue blood in their veins, while 
the blood of inferior persons approaches more or less to 
a black hue. Hence the French phrases, sang bleu (aristo¬ 
cratic blood) and sang noir (commoners’ blood). 


180 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


368. Whose snuff-box sold for thirty dollars ? 

Sir Walter Raleigh’s snuff-box, out of which he took 
a pinch on the scaffold, was in constant use by the Duke of 
Sussex, and was knocked down at his sale for £6. 

369. Who was the Boy Bachelor ? 

William Wotton, d. D. (1666-1726), was admitted at St. 
Catherine’s Hall before he was ten, and took his b. a. when 
he was twelve and a half. 

370. What Queen of England was called “ Brandy 
Nan”? 

Queen Anne, who was very fond of brandy. On the 
statue of Queen Anne in St. Paul’s church-yard a wit 
wrote: — 

“ Brandy Nan, Brandy Nan, left in the lurch, 

Her face to the gin-shop, her hack to the church.” 

On the site of Dakin’s tea-shop stood a “gin-palace” at 
that time. 

371. Who was called the “ Bravest of the Brave ” ? 

Marshal Tsey (1769-1815). So called by the troops of 
Friedland (1807), on account of his fearless bravery. 
Napoleon said of him: “That man is a lion.” 

372. Who was the Briareus of languages ? 

Cardinal Mezzofanti (1774-1849) who knew fifty-eight 
different tongues. Byron (1788-1824) called him “ a walking 
polyglot; a monster of languages; a Briareus of parts of 
speech.— Briareus was a giant with fifty heads and a hun¬ 
dred hands. Homer states that the gods called him by this 
name, but men called him HSgeon. — Iliad , i, 403. 




QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


131 


373. How did the buttercup get its name ? 

From the old supposition that it would increase the 
butter of milk. No doubt those cows give the best milk 
that pasture in fields where buttercups abound, not because 
these flowers produce butter, for cows never eat them, but 
because they grow only on sound, dry, old pastures, which 
afford the best food. 

374. Who was the swiftest of all runners ?• 

Camilla, the virgin queen of the Yolscians. Virgil 
writes that she was so swift that she could run over a field 
of coin without bending a single blade, or make her way 
over the sea without even wetting her feet: — 

“ Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain 

Flies o’er the unbending corn and skims along the main.” 

Pope. 

375. What river had the power of inspiring those 
who drank from its waters ? 

Castaly, the river of poetic inspiration, is a fountain of 
Parnassus sacred to the Muses, and its waters are said to 
have possessed this power. 

376. What was the signature of Columbus? 

S. that is Servidor. 

S. A. S. Sus Altezas Sacras. 

X. M. Y. Jesus Maria Isabel. 

Xpo. Ferens. Christo-pher. 

El Almirante. El Almirante. 

In English: “Servant — of their Sacred Highnesses — 
Jesus, Maria, and Isabella — Christopher — The Admiral.” 

Christo-pher means Christ Bearing. His heirs — it was 
provided in the discoverer's will —should sign with “an 
S with an X under it, and an M with a Roman A over it, 


132 


QTTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


and over that an S, and a great Y with an S over it, with its 
lines and points — as is my custom — he shall only write 
4 The Admiral,’ whatever title the king may have conferred 
upon him.” Captain Becher, recalling that it was to 
Isabella that Columbus owed his success, read the initials 
as above given. 

377. What is the story of the Kilkenny cats ? 

That two cats fought in a sawpit so ferociously, that 
when the battle was over, only the tail of each was left. 
This is an allegory of the municipalities of Kilkenny and 
Irishtown, who contended so stoutly about boundaries and 
rights, to the end of the seventeenth century, that they 
mutually impoverished each other — ate up each other, 
leaving only a tail behind. 

378. What is the origin of “‘To let the cat out of 
the bag ” ? 

It was formerly a trick among country people in England 
to substitute a cat for a sucking-pig, and bring it in a bag to 
market. If any greenhorn chose to buy a u pig in a poke ” 
without examination, all very well, but if he opened the 
sack, “ he let the cat out of the bag,” and the trick was 
disclosed. 

379. What fugitive king concealed himself in an oak- 
tree ? 

When Charles II. fled from the Parliamentary army, he 
took refuge in Boscobel-house, but when he deemed it no 
longer safe to remain there, he concealed himself in an oak. 
Dr. Stukely states that this tree “ stood just by a horse- 
track passing through the wood, and the king, with Colonel 


QUIZZISM; AKD ITS KEY. 


133 


Carlos, climbed into it by means of the hen-roost ladder. 
The family reached them victuals with a nut-hook.” — 
Itinerarium Curio sum, 1724, iii, p. 57. 

380. What author was horn on hoard of a slave- 
ship ? 

Ignatius Sancho, an African writer, who died in London, 
aged fifty-one, on December 14, 1780. His Letters possess 
great originality. 

381. What American General reported that he ha.1 
been (< seven months in the field without taking off his 
clothes one night ” ? 

General Greene, who, on the fourteenth of December, 
1781, additionally informed Congress that he had been 
unable to advance on the British for ten days for want of 
ammunition; that he had not paper with which to make 
returns, no camp-kettles, etc.; that he lay within a few 
miles of the enemy, and had not six rounds per man. 

382. When was the Indian town of Mississinewa 
attacked ? 

This village, inhabited by Delawares and Miamis, was 
attacked by six hundred Americans under Colonel Camp¬ 
bell, on the seventeenth of December, 1812. The town, with 
several others in the vicinity, was burnt. 

383. What ruler began his reign by ordering nine¬ 
teen of his brothers to be strangled ? 

Mahomet III., Sultan of Turkey, who died of the plague, 
December 20, 1603. In beginning his reign, he also ordered 
ten of his father’s wives to be drowned. He invaded 


134 


QTJIZZISM ; AHD ITS KEY. 


Hungary with an army of two hundred thousand men, but 
after some successes his progress was checked and he sued 
in vain for peace. 

384. . When was the most desperate naval battle 
fought ? 

- On the twenty-third of December, 1757, the British 
privateer Terrible , Captain William Death (who had Devil 
for his lieutenant, and Ghost for his surgeon), of twenty-six 
guns and two hundred men, captured a large French ship, 
after an obstinate battle, in which he lost his brother and 
sixteen men killed. A few days after, he fell in with the 
privateer Vengeance , thirty-six guns and three hundred and 
sixty men, who recaptured the prize, and, having manned 
her, both ships bore down on the Terrible , whose main was 
shot away by the first broadside. After a desperate engage¬ 
ment, in which the French captain and his lieutenant were 
killed, with two thirds of his crew, the Terrible was 
boarded, when no more than twenty-six persons were found 
alive, sixteen of whom had lost an arm or a leg, the remain¬ 
ing ten being badly wounded. The ship, which had been 
equipped at Execution dock, was so shattered that it could 
scarcely be kept above water. 

385. Who was the wife of Martin Luther ? 

Catharine Yon Bora, who died December 27, 1552. She 
was rescued from a nunnery with eight others, by the 
assistance of the great reformer, whom she survived several 
years. 

386. Who was liberated in exchange for General 
Burgoyne ? 


QUTZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


135 


Henry Laurens, ambassador from the United States to 
France, on the last day of the year 1781. 

387. Who was a “good poet” but a “poor shoe¬ 
maker ” ? 

William Gifford, an English poet and reviewer, who rose 
from a shoemaker’s bench to an editor’s chair, where he 
acquired fame and fortune. He died December 31, 1826. 

388. When were slaves first brought to Virginia ? 

The only authority is Captain John Smith, who, in his 
General History, states : “ About the last of August [1619], 
came in a dutch man of voarre that sold us twenty nigars .” 

389. Who was Corinth’s pedagogue ? 

Dionysius, the younger, on being banished a second time 
from Syracuse, went to Corinth and became a schoolmaster. 
He is called Dionysius, the tyrant. Hence Lord Byron says 
of Napoleon: — 

“Corinth’s pedagogue hath now 
Transferred his by-word to thy brow.” 

390. What is the signification of “ I have a crow to 
pick with you ” ? 

In Howell’s proverbs (1659) we find the following: “I 
have a goose to pluck with you,” used in the same sense; 
and Chaucer has the phrase “Pull a finch” but means, 
thereby, to cheat or filch. Children of distinction among 
the Greeks and Romans had birds for their amusement, and 
in their boyish quarrels used to pluck or pull the feathers 
out of each other’s pets. Tyndarus, in his Captives , alludes 
to this, but instances it with a lapwing. In hieroglyphics,] 
a crow symbolizes contention, discord, strife. 



136 


QTTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


391. Who first said: “ There ’s many a slip ’twixt 
the cup and the lip ” ? 

It is told of Ancaeus II., King of Samos, and son of Nep¬ 
tune and Astypalaea, that he paid particular attention to 
the cultivation of the vine, and on one occasion was told 
by a slave, whom he was pressing with hard labor in his 
vineyard, that he would never taste of its produce. After 
the vintage had been gathered in, and the wine made, 
Ancaeus, in order to falsify his prediction, was about to 
raise a cup of the liquor to his lips, deriding, at the same 
time, the pretended prophet (who, however, merely told 
him in reply that there were many things between the cup 
and the lip), when tidings came that a boar had broken into 
his v.neyard. Throwing down the cup, with the untasted 
liquor, Ancaeus rushed forth to meet the animal, and lost 
his life in the encounter. Hence arose the Greek proverb,* 
u Ilo/Ud /ueTdtjv ■ke'X.eI KvXiKoe mi ^eZAeof a/cpov.” “ Multa cadunt 
inter calicem supremaque labra;” (“Many things fall 
between cup and lips”), which is the Latin translation 
by Erasmus. 


392. Who became king by the neighing of his 
horse ? 

After the death of Smerdis, the Magian, seven princes of 
Persia agreed that they would ride to the top of a hill in 
the early morning, and that he should be king whose horse 
first neighed. At the first glimpse of sunrise, the horse of 
Darius, the son of Hystaspes, of the royal family, was the 
first to neigh, and Darius was proclaimed king. This good 
fortune of Darius arose from the fact principally that his 

* This Greek aphorism does not admit of a very literal and elegant 
rendering in English, but its meaning is equivalent to the Latin. 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


137 


groom had, daily, previous to this memorable morning, 
taken his master’s horse, before daylight, to the appointed 
place of meeting. 

393. What are “ crocodile tears ” ? 

Hypocritical tears. The tale is, that crocodiles moan 
and sigh, like a person in deep distress, to allure travellers 
to the spot, and even shed tears over their prey while in the 
act of devouring it. 

394. How did the shamrock come into use as a 
badge ? 

It is said that it was introduced by Patrick M’Alpine, 
since called St. Patrick, as a simile of the Trinity, 432. 
Failing to make them (the Irish) understand his words, he 
showed them a stem of clover or trefoil, thereby exhibiting 
an ocular demonstration of the possibility of three uniting 
into one, and one into three. 

395. When was the “ short-lived ” administration ? 

In England, this term is applied to that of William 
Pulteney, the earl of Bath, Lord Carlisle, Lord Winchel- 
sea, and Lord Granville, which existed from February 10 to 
February 12, 1746. 

396. Who began the slave-trade ? 

The importation of slaves from Congo and Angola was 
commenced by the Portuguese in 1481. The slave-trade of 
England was beguji by Sir John Hawkins, before mentioned, 
a celebrated navigator, who defrayed the expenses of 
Francis Drake’s education. 


138 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


397. Who was the first suicide ? 

The first instance recorded in Jewish history is that of 
Samson about 1120 b.c. Saul also killed himself in 1055 
b.c. The only instance recorded in early Roman history 
occurs in the reign of Tarquin I., when the soldiers think¬ 
ing themselves disgraced by being ordered to make common 
sewers, destroyed themselves, 606 b.c. 

398. What was the origin of the beautiful groves of 
sycamore in Scotland ? 

In Mrs. Jameson’s Memoirs of Female Sovereigns, we are 
told that Mary, Queen of Scots, brought over from France 
a little sycamore-tree, which she planted in the gardens at 
Holyrood, and from this sprang the groves so abundant in 
that country. This tree is also known as the Egyptian 
fig-tree. 

399. Where is Tchernaya ? 

It is a river in the Crimea. At this place on August 16, 
1855, an attack was made upon the allied army by 50,000 
Russians under Prince Goitschakoff, the latter being 
repulsed with the loss of 3,329 slain, 1,658 wounded, and 
600 prisoners. The allies lost about 1,200, of whom 200 
were from the Sardinian contingent which fought with 
great bravery under the command of General La Mainora. 
The Russian General Read and the Sardinian General 
Montevecchio were killed. The brunt of the attack (whose 
object was the relief of Sebastopol) was borne by two 
French regiments under General D’Herbillon. 

400. Who was the original Tammany ? 

A great chief of the Delaware Indians who lies buried 
near Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He is represented as 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


189 


being the possessor of many virtues, and politicians, about 
the close of the Revolution, called him St. Tammany, and 
chose him as the patron saint of the new republic. Tam¬ 
many societies were formed and Tammany halls were 
erected by Republicans, and on May-day, the instituted 
festival of the saint, meetings of the society were held. 
Heckewelder, the Indian missionary, writes: “ On that day, 
numerous societies of his votaries walked together in pro¬ 
cession through the streets of Philadelphia, their hats 
decorated with bucks’ tails, and proceeded to a handsome 
rural place out of town which they called the wigwam , 
where, after a long talk or Indian speech had been 
delivered, and the calumet of peace and friendship had been 
duly smoked, they spent the day in festivity and mirth.” 

401. Why was the Temple of Piety built ? 

It was built by Acilius on the spot (?) where once 
a woman had fed with her milk her aged father, whom the 
senate had imprisoned, and excluded from all aliments in 
commemoration of the fact. The large painting represen¬ 
tative of this is well-known to every habitue of the Boston 
Museum. 

402. What generals gained three victories in a single 
day ? 

Cirnon, the son of Miltiades, and Zachary Taylor. 
General Winfield Scott, on August 20, 1847, gained Jive 
victories in a single day while marching to the City of 
Mexico. 

403. Where was the first theatre in America built ? 

The first regular theatrical company seen in America 

came from England, in 1752, landed at York, in Virginia, 


140 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


and, by permission of Governor Dinwicldie, opened a play¬ 
house at Williamsburg, then the capital of the Old 
Dominion. The first play performed in America, by a 
regular company, was at that rude theatre, on September 5, 

1752. The company next opened a theatre at Annapolis, 
Maryland, the same year, and there the first regular theatre 
in America was erected. On the seventeenth of September, 

1753, the same company opened a theatre in New York, 
where Sir Richard Steele's play of The Conscious Lovers was 
performed. The manager, Hallam, being solicited to open 
a theatre in Philadelphia, went there in April, 1754, and 
began, in a storehouse, with The Fair Penitent. Such was 
the beginning of theatricals in the United States. 

404. Who was Mary Hamilton ? 

The defendant in a remarkable trial held in England, 
October 7, 1746, she being accused of marrying with her 
own sex to the extent of having fourteen wives. 

405. When was the Valteline Massacre ? 

On the twentieth of July, 1620. A general massacre of 
the Protestants by the Roman Catholics, who revolted 
against the government, began at Tirano, extended to all 
the district, and lasted three days. Valteline (Switzerland) 
is now a part of Austrian Italy. 

406. If leaves are the lungs of plants, how do leaf¬ 
less plants respire ? 

One important character of the epidermis of plants is the 
presence of stomata or breathing-pores. These exist abun¬ 
dantly in the steins and leaves. Then, in the leafless tree, 
the stem performs the office of breathing. 


quizzism; and its key. 


141 


407. What plant produces sixty-six millions of cells 
in a minute ? 

The Bovista gigantea , a fungus plant, grows in one night 
from the size of a pea to that of an average watermelon. 
Its increase of cells per minute has been estimated to be 
66,000,000. Other fungi grow surprisingly fast. 

408. What animal is noted for the “ golden tint of 
its skin ” ? 

The Jackal ( cords aureus). Also the Roseate Spoonbill, 
a representative of the plataleicloe , at the age of four or five 
is of a beautiful rose color, with carmine wing and tail- 
coverts, and has a naked head with golden-yellow skin shading 
into glossy black around the top of the neck. The fur of 
the mole ( chrysochloridce ) shines with rich metallic tints of 
variable hues. 

409. What animal never perspires ? 

The dog. Not even in the hottest weather is he ever 
“bathed in perspiration.” He drinks by lapping, and thus 
avoids the danger of swallowing large quantities of cold 
water when the body is overheated. 

410. What animal indulges in the pastime of sliding 
down snow-hanks in winter and clay-banks in summer ? 

The river otter ( lutra canadensis) . Its pastime of sliding 
in companies into the water, additional to that stated in the 
query, presents a singular feature of animal life. 

411. What animal is supposed to have a sixth sense ? 

The bat. Its eye is small and apparently of little service, 
and as it flits among bushes and intricate passages when 


142 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


blinded, some zoologists have been led to the conclusion that 
it possessed an additional sense. 

412. What is the difference between a Bison and 
a Buffalo ? 

The bison is an American animal, the buffalo an Old- 
World animal, and the distinction between it and the bison 
is its close resemblance to the common ox. 

413. To what animal is the name Unicorn sometimes 
applied ? 

The single-horned rhinoceros. The animal corresponding 
to the Unicorn of Scripture is thought to be the Arus or 
wild ox. 

414. Why has the metal Tungsten the symbol W? 

It was first called after its discoverer Wolfram, and was 
given W for its symbol. When the name of Ihe metal was 
changed to the present appellation, it still retained its 
original characterization. 

415. What is the “ herbivorous whale ? ” 

The Manatee , or sea cow, of the Florida coast, which 
feeds upon aquatic plants. Similar to the elephant, it has 
a short neck, dense bones, and the nostril in the end of the 
snout. It has no hind limbs, and its fore limbs are flippers, 
with vestiges of nails on the edges, enabling it to crawl on 
the shore. 

416. How often do birds moult their feathers ? 

Moulting usually begins soon after the breeding season, 
although there are besides a second and third partial 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


143 


moulting sometimes. In individual cases, as in that of the 
swallow, moulting does not take place until near winter, 
but in migratory birds it occurs so that the bird will have a 
supply of new feathers in aid to the journey it may wish 
to make in going to a warmer climate. 

417. How is the plumage of birds rendered water¬ 
proof ? 

Birds are furnished on the rump with two glands, in 
Avhich a quantity of unctuous matter is constantly secreting. 
This is occasionally pressed out by the bill and is used in 
lubricating the feathers. Domestic birds do not have this 
fluid in so great a supply, owing to artificial coverings in 
time of rain, and this explains the greatly ruffled appear¬ 
ance of poultry at such times. 

418. What bird has no tail ? 

The Apteryx (apterygidee ). Its feathers look like fur. For 
incubation it digs deep holes in the ground, into which it 
flees when pursued, — which is characteristic of the lowest 
order of mammals. 

419. What forms the “ wish-bone ” of birds ? 

Breast-bone of a fowl. 

420. Where is the bird u without wings ” to he 
found ? 

The Kiwi Kiwi (. Apteryx ), or the bird without wings, is 
found only in New Zealand. It is extremely fleet of foot, 
and hard to capture. As it lives in the swamps and hides 
in the daytime, only coming forth at night, the natives have 
almost given up the effort to obtain it, and it is only for 


144 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


their chiefs that they ever pursue them. The chiefs alone 
are permitted to wear cloaks made of its skin, and the 
owner of a Kiwi cloak is a very proud man. 

421. Have reptiles ears ? 

Reptiles have flat and naked ears without auricles. The 
principal tribes are Tortoises, Lizards, and Frogs. 

422. What is the Bearded Tortoise ? 

The Chelys matamata (chelydidce) , whose flesh is highly 
prized, is both the type and the grotesque member of this 
family. 

423. What animal is supposed to he the “cony” of 
Scripture ? 

It belongs to the Pachydermata. Its scientific name is 
Hyrax Syriacus, and it is like the Alpine marmot. 

424. Does the porcupine throw his quills ? 

No. The opinion that they do, has been fully refuted by 
many accurate naturalists, who have taken pains to inquire 
into the matter. 

425. What fish has four beards hanging from the 
mouth ? 

The Barbel, a member of the cyprinidce genus of fish, has 
four beards or barbules hanging from the mouth, probably 
to aid it in grubbing with its nose for aquatic larvse in the 
soft banks of streams and rivers. 

426. In what country are “ singing mice ” to be 
obtained ? 


QTTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


145 


Singing Mice are common mice supposed to have a disease 
of the throat that makes them utter a noise like a canary. 
They are not a distinct species. 

427. What birds are used by the Chinese for fishing ? 

Cormorants ( graculidce ), which are abundant in all parts 
of the world. They are tamed and used for fishing, by these 
“barbarians,” by placing a ring at the base of the neck to 
prevent the bird from swallowing the game. 

428. What is the Puffing Pig ? 

This name is applied to the common porpoise which 
frequently comes to the surface of the water to breathe, 
where it tumbles and frisks about, presenting a grotesque 
appearance. 

429. What bird has a gape with bristles ? 

The Whippoorwill. Though bearing a strong resemblance 
to the Night Hawk, it has this peculiar mark of distinction, 
as the latter does not have bristles in its gape. 

430. Is there really a flying squirrel ? 

They are provided with a lateral membrane attached to 
the body and the wrists, which they spread when they 
wish to make a leap. This they can do to the distance of 
ten or twelve yards. Strictly speaking, they do not fly. 

431: What are the u stone-suckers ” ? 

The Petromyzon Americanus or Lamprey eel. Its mouth 
is simply a circular sucking-cup, armed with numerous teeth. 
The tongue, working like a piston, produces a vacuum bj r 
which the animal adheres to any object. Assisted by the 


146 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


current, it thus drags away quite large stones from the spot 
it chooses for depositing its spawn. 

432. Are there red canary birds ? 

None, excepting perhaps hybrids. They do not exist 
naturally. 

433. What occasions the bad odor of burnt gun¬ 
powder ? 

Potassium sulphide, resulting from the combustion of the 
powder. 


434. Who were Abelard and Heloise ? 

Two lovers whose passion for each other commenced at 
Paris, 1118, when Heloise (a canon's daughter) was under 
seventeen j^ears of age. Abelard built the convent of the 
Paraclete, in which he taught what was condemned as 
heresy, 1122 and 1140, and made Heloise abbess. After 
suffering an ignominious injury at the hands of her uncle, 
he became a monk of the Abbey of St. Denis, and died of 
grief, in 1142, at St. Marcel. Heloise begged his body, 
buried it in the Paraclete, and was interred beside him in 
1163. The remains of both were carried to the Museum of 
French Monuments in 1800; and the Museum having been 
subsequently broken up, they were finally removed to the 
cemetery of Pere la Chaise in 1817. Their works and letters 
were published in one volume, in 1816. Pope’s imitations 
of the latter are well known. 

435. How did St. Anthony live ? 

It is said that he lived to the age of 105, on twelve ounces 
of bread and water daily. James, the Hermit, lived to the 


QtTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 147 

age of 104, while St. Epiphanius existed on the same frugal 
diet to the age of 115. 

436. What is Aceldama ? 

A field said to have been the one bought with the thirty 
pieces of silver given to Judas Iscariot for betraying Christ, 
which is still shown to travellers. It is covered with an 
arched roof, and retains the name Aceldama, that is, “the 
field of blood,” to this day. — Matt, xxvii. 8; Acts, i. 19. 
The name was also given to an estate purchased by Judge 
Jeffreys, after the u Bloody Assizes,” in 1685. 

437. Why was Adrian’s Wall built ? 

To prevent the irruptions of the Scots and Piets into the 
northern counties of England, then under the Roman 
government. The wall extended from the Tyne to Solway 
Firth, was eighty miles long, twelve feet high, and eight 
feet in thickness. Built in 121, it was named after its second 
founder, the Emperor Adrian; it was repaired by Severus 
in the year 208. 

438. What are the three nations of Amazons ? 

The Asiatic, Scythian, and African. They are said to 
have been the descendants of Scythians inhabiting Cap¬ 
padocia, where their husbands, having made incursions, 
were all slain, being surprised in ambuscades by their 
enemies. Their widows having resolved to form a female 
State, established themselves and decreed that matrimony 
was a shameful servitude. Herodotus states they were 
conquered by Theseus about 1231 b.c. As they were con¬ 
stantly employed in wars, they had their right breasts 
burned off (whence their name from the Greek, «, no, and 
mazos , breast), that they might throw thd javelin with more 


148 


QTTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


force. Others derive their name from maza , the moon, 
which orb they are supposed to have worshiped. About 
330 B.C., their queen, Thalestris, visited Alexander the 
Great, while he was pursuing his conquests in Asia; three 
hundred females were in her train. 

439. Which of the Yestals broke their vows ? 

Minutia, who was burned alive, 337 B.C. ; Sextalia, 274 
B.C., and Cornelia Maximiliana, a.d. 92. The vestals were 
priestesses of Vesta, who took care of the perpetual fire 
consecrated to her worship. The mother of llomulus was 
a vestal. Numa, in 710 B.C., appointed four, and Tarquin 
added two. After the expulsion of the Tarquins, the high- 
priest was intrusted with the care of them. 

440. What is the Iron Crown ? 

It is made of gold, having inside a ring of iron, said to 
have been forged from the nails of Christ’s cross, and was 
made by order of Theudelinde for her husband, Agilulf, 
king of the Longobards, 591. She gave it to the church at 
Monza. Charlemagne was crowned with this crown, and 
after him all the emperors who were kings of Lombardy. 
Napoleon I. at Milan, on May 26, 1805, put it on his head, 
saying, a Dieu me Va donnee ; gave a qui y touchera ” (“ God 
has given it to me; woe to him who shall touch it”). He 
founded the order of the Iron Crown, which still exists. 
The crown was removed from Monza to Mantua, by the 
Austrians, on April 23, 1859. 

441. When was the republic of Andorra established ? 

It was made independent by Charlemagne about the year 
778, certain rights being reserved to the Bishop of Urgel. 
The feudal sovereignty, which long appertained to the 


QTTIZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


149 


Counts of Foix, reverted to the French king, Henry IV., in 
1589, but was given up in 1790. On March 27, 180G, an 
imperial decree restored the old relations between Andorra 
and France. The republic is now governed by a council 
elected for life; but the magistrates are appointed alter¬ 
nately by the French government and the Spanish Bishop 
of Urgel. This small republic in the Pyrenees, bearing the 
title of “ The Valleys and Sovereignties of Andorra,” has 
a population of about twenty thousand. 

442. What are noted anagrams ? 

Anagrams are formed by the transposition of the letters 
of a name or sentence; as army from Mary , etc. To the 
question put by Pilate to the Saviour: u Quid est veritas ? ” 
(“ What is truth ? ”) is the answer in the remarkable anagram, 
“ Est vir qui adest ” (“The man who is here”). From 
“Horatio Nelson ” is derived “ Honor est a Nilo ” (“There 
is Honor from the Nile ”). These transpositions are said to 
have been made by ancient Jews, Greeks, and other nations; 
the French introduced the art, as now practised, about 
the year 15G0. in the reign of Charles IX. 

443. Where is it claimed that the Ark rested ? 

Mount Ararat is venerated by the Armenians from 
a belief of its being the place on which Noah's ark rested 
after the universal deluge, 2348 B.C. But Apainea, in 
Phrygia, claims to be the spot; and medals have been 
struck there with a chest on the waters, and the letters 
NOE, and two doves; this place is three hundred miles 
west of Ararat. The ark was three hundred cubits in length, 
fifty in breadth, and thirty in height; nut most interpreters 
suppose this cubit to be about a foot and a half and not 
the geometrical one of six. 


150 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


444. What noted conquerer died on the eve of his 
marriage ? 

Attila; who was distinguished for his conquests and 
crimes, having ravaged the Eastern Empire from 445 to 
450, when he made peace with Theodosius. He invaded 
the Western Empire, 450, and was defeated by iEtius at 
Chalons, 451; retiring into Pannonia, he died, through the 
bursting of a blood-vessel, on the night of his nuptials 

with.a beautiful virgin named Ildico, in the year 453. 

/ 

445. What is the Victoria Cross ? 

It is a Maltese cross made of Bussian cannon from 
Sebastopol, a representative of the royal order of merit 
instituted to reward the gallantry of persons of all ranks in 
the army and navy, on February 5, 1856. 

446. What was Blood’s conspiracy ? 

On December 4, 1G70, Blood, a discarded officer of Oliver 
Cromwell’s household, with his confederates, seized the 
Duke of Ormond in his coach, and had taken him to Tyburn, 
intending to hang him, when his friends rescued him. 
Blood, afterward, in the disguise of a clergyman, attempted 
to steal the regal crown from the jewel-office in the Tower, 
May 9, 1671. For this and other offences, he was not only 
pardoned, but had a pension of £500 per annum granted to 
him by Charles II. in 1671. He died in 1680, while con¬ 
fined in prison for a libel on the Duke of Buckingham. 

447. Who were the Walloons ? 

A people who fled to England from the persecution of 
the cruel Duke of Alva, the governor of the Low Counties 
for Philip II. of Spain, in 1566, where a church was given to 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


151 


them by Queen Elizabeth. The first permanent settlements 
in New York were made by Walloons (the descendants of 
French Protestants who had fled to Holland). Thirty-five 
families arrived in 1623. Eight families went up the Hudson, 
and settled at Albany; the remainder crossed the East River, 
and settled upon lands now covered by the eastern portion 
of Brooklyn, around the navy-yard. There was born Sarah 
Rapelye, the first white child born within the limits of New 
York State. 

448. What was an u angel ” ? 

An ancient gold coin, weighing four pennyweights, and 
valued at 6s. 8 d. in the reign of Henry VI., and at 10s. in the 
reign of Elizabeth, 1562. The angelot , a gold coin, value 
half an angel, was struck at Paris when held by the English 

in 1431. 

449. What is yttrium ? 

A rare metal. The earth yttria was discovered by 
Professor Gadolin in a mineral at Ytterby, in Sweden, 1791. 
The metal, which was first obtained by Wohler in 1828, is 
of a dark gray color and very brittle. 

450. What was the Ernulphus curse ? 

It was a form of excommunication of the church of Rome 
written by Ernulphus, the bishop of Rochester, who was 
a friend of Anselm of Canterbury, and lived in the twelfth 
century. The Textus De Ecclesia Roffensi, Per 
Ernulfum Episcopum Excommunicatio will be found in 
Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. Oliver, a sailor and patriot, with 
a merited reputation for extempore rhyming, while on a visit 
to his cousin, Benedict Arnold, after the war, was requested 
by the latter to amuse a party of English officers with 


152 


QXJIZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


some extemporaneous effusion, whereupon he stood up and 
repeated the following terrible invective (an Ernulphus 
curse) that would have fully satisfied even Dr. Slop; and 
this is known as “ Oliver's Impromptu” : — 

B orn for a curse to virtue and mankind, 

Earth’s broadest realm ne’er knew so black a mind; 

N ight’s sable veil your crimes can never hide: 

Each one so great, ’twould glut historic tide; 

Defunct, your cursed memory will live 
In all the glare that infamy can give; 

C urses of ages will attend your name; 

Traitors alone will glory in your shame; 

Almighty vengeance sternly waits to roll 
Rivers of sulphur on your treach’rous soul; 

N ature looks shudd’ring back with conscious dread 
On such a tarnished blot as she has made. 

Let hell receive you riveted in chains, 

D oomed to the hottest focus of its flames. 

451. What fortune did Napoleon leave ? 

Six million francs; which he left to his friends General 
Drouet, General Desnouettes, General Girard’s children, 
and many others. To the Count de Montholon, he willed 
2,000,000 francs; to the Comte Bertrand, 500,000, and to 
Marchaud, his first valet-de-chambre , the munificent sum of 
400,000 francs. Napoleon died on May 5, 1821, eleven days 
after signing his will. His last testament, for a long time 
in the possession of England, has been given up to the 
authorities in Paris, and is deposited among the archives 
of that capital. • 

452. When was the phrase “Over the left” first 
used ? 

The earliest trace of the use and peculiar significance of 
this phrase may be found in the Becords of the Hartford 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


153 


County courts, in the (then) Colony of Connecticut, as 
follows: — 

At a County Court at Hartford, 
September 4,1705. 

Wiereas, James Steel did commence an action against Bevell Waters 
(both of Hertford), in this Court, upon hearing and tryall whereof the 
Court gave judgment against the said Waters (as in justice they think 
they ought); upon the declaring the said judgment, the said Waters did 
review to the Court in March next; that, being granted and entered, the 
said Waters, as he departed from the table, he said : “ God bless you over 
the left shoulder .” 

The Court order a record to be made thereof forthwith. 

(A true copie: Test) 

Caleb Stanley, Clerk. 

At the next court, Waters was tried for contempt, for 
saying the words recited, “ so cursing the Court,” and on 
verdict fined £5. He asked a review of the Court following, 
which was granted; and pending trial, the Court asked 
counsel of the Reverend Messrs. Wood!)ridge and Bucking¬ 
ham, the ministers of the Hartford churches, as to the 
“common acceptation” of the offensive phrase. Their 
reply constitutes a part of the Record, and is as follows: — 

Wc are of opinion that those words, said on the other side to be 
spoken by Bevell Waters, include (1) prophaneness, by using the name 
of God, that is holy, with such ill words whereto it was joyned; (2) that 
they carry great contempt in them, arising to the degree of an impreca¬ 
tion or curse, the words of a curse being the most contemptible that can 
ordinarily be used. T. Woodbridge. 

T. Buckingham. 

March 7, 1705-6. 

The former judgment was affirmed on review. 

453. When were post-paid envelopes first used ? 

M. Piron tells us that the idea of a post-paid envelope 
originated early in the reign of Louis XIY., with M. de 
Valfyer, who, in 1653, established (with royal approbation) 
a private penny-post, placing boxes at the corners of the 


154 


quizzism; and its key. 


streets for the reception of letters wrapped up in envelopes, 
which were to be bought at offices established for that 
purpose. M. de Valfyer also had certain forms of billets , or 
notes, applicable to the ordinary business among the inhab¬ 
itants of great towns, with blanks, which were to. be filled 
up by the pen with such special matter as might complete 
the writer’s object. One of these billets has been preserved 
to our times by a pleasant misapplication of it. Pelisson 
(Madame de Sevigne’s friend, and the object of the bon mot 
that 44 He abused the privilege which men have of being 
ugly ”) was amused at this kind of skeleton correspondence, 
and under the affected name of Pisandre (according to the 
pedantic fashion of the day), he filled and addressed one of 
those forms to the celebrated Mademoiselle de Scuderie, 
in her pseudonyme of Sappho . This strange billet-doux has 
happened, from the celebrity of the parties, to be pre¬ 
served, and it is still extant, — one of the oldest, it is 
presumed, of penny-post letters, and a curious example 
of a prepaying envelope, — a fresh proof of the adage thai 
“there is nothing new under the sun.” 

454. When were clocks invented ? 

The invention of clocks is by some ascribed to Papificus, 
archdeacon of Verona, in the ninth century; and by others 
to Boethius, in the early part of the sixth. The Saracens 
are supposed to have had clocks which were moved by 
weights, as early as the eleventh century; and, as the term 
is applied by Dante to a machine which struck the hours, 
clocks must have been known in Italy about the end of the 
thirteenth century, or beginning of the fourteenth. The 
most ancient clock of which we have any certain account 
was erected in a tower of the palace of Charles V., king of 
France, in 1364, by Henry de Wyck, or De Vick, a German 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


155 


artist. A clock was erected at Strasbourg in 1370, at 
Courtray about the same period, and at Speyer in 1395. 
Watches made as early as 1700 were so delicately con¬ 
structed by hand, and so small, as to easily fit on the top 
of a lead-pencil. 

Among the quaint old treasures of strong and stately 
Bolton Castle, there was “ a very fair clock, with the motion 
of the sun and moon, and other conclusions .” What these 
last may be, is not stated. In this grand old French man¬ 
sion, “painfully secluded and lonely,” Mary Stuart was, 
for a time, “a queenly prisoner-guest”; and “it is sug¬ 
gestively considered that many of the long and weary hours 
of her exile were counted out ” upon the dial of this “ odd, 
yet comely timepiece.” Account is given “of so brave 
a gift,” sent early in the thirteenth century to Frederick IL 
by the Sultan of Egypt; this wonderful “horologium 
resembled a celestial globe, in which sun, moon, and planets 
moved ; being impelled by weights and wheels, they pointed 
out the hour, day and night.” A hundred years later was 
a timepiece, ranking, for cunning workmanship, above all 
others then known in Europe, “ showing various astro¬ 
nomical phenomena.” 


455. What was the stratagem of Columbus ? 

During the fourth voyage of Columbus, while prose¬ 
cuting his. discoveries, among the West India Islands and 
along the coast of the continent, his vessels, from continual 
subjection to tempestuous weather, and being (to use his 
own expression) “ bored by the worms as full of holes as 
a honeycomb,” were reduced to mere wrecks, unable any 
longer to keep the sea, and were finally stranded on the 
shore of Jamaica. Being beyond the possibility of repair, 
they were fitted up for the temporary use of Columbus, who 


156 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY, 


was in feeble health, and of such of his crew as were 
disabled by sickness, those who were well, being sent abroad 
for assistance and supplies. Their immediate wants were 
amply provided for, Diego Mendez having made arrange¬ 
ments with the natives for a daily exchange of knives, 
combs, beads, fish-hooks, etc., for cassava-bread, fish, and 
other provisions. In the course of a short time, however, 
provisions on the island became scarce, and the supplies 
began gradually to fall off. The arrangements for the daily 
delivery of certain quantities were irregularly attended to, 
and finally ceased entirely. The Indians no longer thronged 
to the harbor with provisions, and often refused them when 
application was made. The Spaniards were obliged to 
forage about the neighborhood for their daily food, but 
found more and more difficulty in procuring it; and now, in 
addition to their other causes of despondency, they began 
to entertain horrible apprehensions of famine. 

The Admiral heard the melancholy forebodings of his 
men, and beheld the growing evil, but was at a loss for 
a remedy. To resort to force was an alternative full of 
danger, and of but temporary efficacy. It would require 
all those who were well enough to bear arms to sally forth, 
while he and the rest of the infirm would be left defence¬ 
less on board the wreck, exposed to the vengeance of the 
natives. 

In the meantime, the scarcity daily increased. The ' 
Indians perceived the wants of the white men, and had 
learned from them the art of making bargains. They asked 
ten times the former quantity of European articles for 
a given amount of provisions, and brought their supplies 
in scanty quantities, to enhance the eagerness of the 
Spaniards. 

At length, even this relief ceased, and there was an 
absolute distress for want of food, the natives withholding 


I 


quizzism; and its key. 157 

all provisions, in hopes either of starving the Admiral and 
his people, or of driving them from the island. In this 
extremity, a fortunate idea suddenly presented itself to 
Columbus. From his knowledge of astronomy, he ascer¬ 
tained that within three days there would be a total eclipse 
of the moon, in the early part of the night. He sent, 
therefore, an Indian of the island of Hispaniola (Hayti), 
who served as his interpreter, to summon the principal 
caciques to a grand conference, appointing for it the day of 
the eclipse. When all were assembled, he told them, by 
his interpreter, that he and his followers were worshipers 
of a Deity who lived in the skies: that this Deity favored 
such as did well, and punished all transgressors; that, as 
they must have all noticed, he had protected Diego Mendez 
and his companions in their voyage, they having gone in 
obedience to the orders of their commander, but that, on 
the other hand, he had visited Francisco de Porras and his 
companions with all kinds of crosses and difficulties, in 
consequence of their rebellion; that this great Deity was 
incensed against the Indians who had refused or neglected 
to furnish his faithful worshipers with provisions, and 
intended to chastise them with pestilence and famine. Lest 
they should disbelieve this warning, a signal would be 
given that very night, in the heavens. They would behold 
the moon change its color, and gradually lose its light, — a 
token of the fearful punishment which awaited them. 

Many of the Indians were alarmed at the solemnity ol 
the prediction; others treated it with scoffing; all, however, 
awaited with solicitude the coming of the night, and none 
with more than Columbus himself, who was distracted 
with anxiety lest the weather should prove cloudy or rainy. 
Imagine his gratitude when the evening sky appeared 
undimmed by a cloud! At the time prophesied, the natives 
beheld a dark shadow stealing over the moon, and they 



158 


QUXZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


began to tremble. Their fears increased with the progress 
of the eclipse; and when they saw mysterious darkness 
covering the whole face of nature, there were no bounds to 
their terror. Seizing upon whatever provisions they could 
procure, they hurried to the ships, uttering cries and lam¬ 
entations. They threw themselves at the feet of the great 
discoverer, implored him to intercede with his God to avert 
the threatened calamities, and assured him that thenceforth 
they would bring him whatever was required. Columbus 
told them that he would retire and commune with his Deity. 
Shutting himself up in his cabin he*remained there during 
the increase of the eclipse, the forests and shores all the 
while resounding with the bowlings and supplications of 
the savages. When the eclipse was about to diminish, he 
came forth and informed the natives that he had interceded 
for them with his God, who, on condition of their fulfilling 
their promises, had deigned to pardon them, in sign of 
which he would withdraw the darkness from the moon. 

When the Indians saw that planet restored presently to 
its brightness and rolling in all its beauty through the 
firmament, they overwhelmed the Admiral with thanks for 
his intercession, and repaired to their homes, joyful at 
having escaped such great disasters. They now regarded 
Columbus with awe and reverence, as a man in peculiar 
favor and confidence of the Deity, since he knew upon 
earth what was passing in the heavens. They hastened to 
propitiate him with gifts, supplies again arrived daily at the 
harbor, and from that time forward there was no want of 
provisions. 

456. What is the origin of the word “ news ” ? 

The word news is commonly supposed to be derived from 
the adjective new. It is asserted, however, that its origin 
is traceable to a custom, in former times, of placing on the 


quizzism; and its key. 


159 


newspapers of the day, the initial letters of the cardinal 
points of the compass, thus: — 


N 


W- 


-E 


These letters were intended to indicate that the paper 
contained intelligence from the four quarters of the globe, 
but they finally came to assume the form of the word news , 
from which the term newspaper is derived. 


457. Who became king by first seeing the sun rise ? 

The Tyrians having been much weakened by long wars 
with the Persians, their slaves rose in a body, slew their 
masters and their children, took possession of their property, 
and married their wives. The slaves, having thus obtained 
everything, consulted about the choice of a king, and 
agreed that he who should first discern the sun rise should 
be king. One of them being more merciful than the rest, 
had spared, in the general massacre, his master Straton and 
his son, whom he hid in a cave; and to his old master he 
now resorted for advice as to this competition. Straton 
advised his slave that when others looked to the east he 
should look toward the west. Accordingly, when the rebel 
tribe had all assembled in the fields and every man’s .eye was 
fixed upon the east, Straton’s slave, turning his back upon 
the rest, looked only westward. He was scoffed at by every 




160 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


one for his absurdity, but immediately he espied the sun¬ 
beams upon the high towers and chimneys in the city, and, 
announcing the discovery, claimed the crown as his reward. 

458. Why do alligators swallow stones ? 

The Indians on the banks of the Oronoko (Orinoco) 
assert that previously to an alligator going in search of 
prey it always swallows a large stone, that it may acquire 
additional weight to aid it in diving, and dragging its victims 
under water. A traveller being somewhat incredulous on 
this point, Bolivar, to convince him, shot several with his 
rifle, and in all of them were found stones varying in weight 
according to the size of the animal. The largest killed was 
about seventeen feet in length, and had within him a stone 
weighing about sixty or seventy pounds. 

459. What was the highest price ever paid for a cat ? 

Montenegro presented to the elder Alinagro the first cat 
which was brought to South America, and was rewarded for 
it with 600 pesos. The first couple of cats which were carried 
to Cuyaba sold for a pound of gold. There was a plague 
of rats in the settlement, and they were purchased as 
a speculation, which proved an excellent one. Their first 
kittens produced thirty oitavas each; the next generation 
were worth twenty; and the price gradually fell as the 
inhabitants were stocked with these beautiful and useful 
creatures. 

“ Could every hailstone to a pearl be turned 
Pearls in the mart like oyster-shells were spumed! ” 


460. Who first ascertained the ratio of the diameter 
to the circumference ? 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


161 


The proportion of the diameter of a circle to its circum¬ 
ference has never yet been exactly ascertained. Nor can 
a square or any other right-lined figure be found that shall 
be equal to a given circle. This is the celebrated problem 
called the “ squaring of the circle,” which has exercised the 
abilities of the greatest mathematicians for ages, and has 
been the occasion of so manjr disputes. Several persons o* 
considerable eminence have, at different times, pretender 
that they had discovered the exact quadrature; but their 
errors have readily been detected; and it is now generally 
regarded as a thing impossible to be done. 

But though the relation between the diameter and circum¬ 
ference can not be accurately expressed in known numbers, 
it may yet be approximated to any assigned degree of exact¬ 
ness. And in this manner was the problem solved, at 
Syracuse, 287 b.c., by the great Archimedes, who discov¬ 
ered the proportion to be nearly as 7 to 22. The process 
by which he effected this may be seen in his book De 
Dimensione Circuli. The same proportion was also dis¬ 
covered by Philo Gadarensis and Apollonius Pergeus at 
a still earlier period, as we are informed by Eutocius. 

The proportion of Yieta and Metius is that of 113 to 355, 
which is a little more exact than the former. It was 
derived from the pretended quadrature of a M. Van Eick, 
which first gave rise to the discovery. 

But the first who ascertained this ratio to any great 
degree of exactness was Van Ceulen, a Dutchman, in 
his book, De Circulo et Adscriptis. He found that if the 
diameter of a circle was 1, the circumference would be 
3.141592653589793238462G433S3279502884 nearly, which is ex¬ 
actly true to 36 places of decimals; and he was so pleased 
with his discovery that he desired that the numbers might 
be engraved upon his tombstone, which was done, as may 
be seen at St. Peter’s Church at Leyden. He appears, how- 



162 


QOTZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


ever, to have effected his calculation by dint of labor, rather 
than fertility of invention, for he used only the tedious 
mode of calculation long before adopted by Archimedes. 
Snellius, of the same country, adopted a much shorter 
process, by which he fully proved the accuracy of Yan 
Ceulen’s calculation. 

But since the invention of fluxions, and the summation of 
infinite series, several methods have been discovered for 
doing the same thing with much more ease and expedition. 
Euler and other eminent mathematicians have by these 
means given a quadrature of the circle which is true to 
more than 100 places — later mathematicians have carried 
the decimal to 154 places — a proposition so extremely near 
the truth that unless the ratio could be completely obtained, 
we need not wish for a greater degree of accuracy. 

461. What is the most curious hook in the world ? 

The most singular bibliographic curiosity is that which 
belonged to the family of the Prince de Ligne, and is now 
in France. It is entitled Liber Passionis Domini Nostri Jcsu 
Christi , cum Characteribus Nulla Materia Compositis (“ The 
book of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, in characters 
without materials of composition”). This book is neither 
written nor printed! The whole letters of the text are cut 
out of each folio upon the finest vellum; and being inter¬ 
leaved with blue paper, it is read as easily as the best 
print. The labor and patience bestowed in its completion 
must have been excessive, especially when the precision 
and minuteness of the letters are considered. The 
general execution, in every respect, is indeed admirable; 
and the vellum is of the most delicate and costly kind. 
Rodolphus II. of Germany offered for it, in 1640, 11,000 
ducats, which was probably equal to 60,000 at this day. 
The most remarkable circumstance connected with this 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


163 


literary treasure is, that it hears the royal arms of England, 
but it can not be traced to have ever been in that country. 
—In the library of Upsal, in Sweden, there is preserved 
a translation of the Four Gospels, printed with metal types 
upon violet-colored vellum. The letters are silver, and 
hence it has received the name of Codex Argenteus. The 
initial letters are in gold. It is supposed that the whole 
was printed in the same manner as bookbinders letter the 
titles of books on the back. It was a very near approach 
to the discovery of the art of printing; but it is not known 
how old it is. — A curious collection of books is contained in 
the library of Warstenstein, near Cassel, in Germany. 
These books appear at first sight to be logs of wood, but 
each volume is really a complete history of the tree it 
represents. The back shows the bark, in which a small 
place is cut to write the scientific and the common name as 
a title. One side shows the free trunk in its natural state, 
and the other is polished and varnished. Inside are shown 
the leaves, fruit, fibre, and insect parasites, to which is 
added a full description of the tree and its products. 


462. Of what were the breast-works made at the 
battle of New Orleans ? 

It seems incredible, and it certainly is singular, that so 
many errors in our history should continue to prevail in 
utter defiance of what is known to be fact. Historians, for 
instance, persist in writing, and people consequently persist 
in believing, that the breast-works of General Jackson at 
the battle of New Orleans (January 8, 1815) were made of 
cotton bales covered with earth, whilst intelligent survivors 
strenuously deny that there was a pound of that combustible 
material on the ground. General W. H. Palfrey, of the 
Crescent City, who served in Major Planche’s battalion, 


164 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


which was stationed from December 23, 1814, to January 15, 
1815, in the center of General Jackson’s line, makes the 
following statement (dated April 5, 1859), which is con¬ 
firmed by Major Chotard, Jackson’s Assistant Adjutant- 
General : — 

41 About twenty or twenty-five bales of cotton were used 
in forming the embrasures of five or six howitzers. There 
were four batteries of one piece of artillery, or howitzer, 
and four of two pieces, established at different points of 
the lines. Four bales were used at some of the batteries 
and six at others. None were used in any other portions of 
the works, which consisted of breast-works formed of earth 
thrown up from the inside, branches of trees, and rubbish. 
Each company threw up its own breast-work; and the 
more it was affected by the enemy’s artillery and Congreve 
rockets, the more industriously the soldiers toiled to 
strengthen it.” 

463. The skull of what noted writer is now to he 
seen in an English museum ? 

William Howitt states that, by one of those acts which 
neither science nor curiosity can excuse, the skull of 
Alexander Pope is now in the private collection of a phre¬ 
nologist. The manner in which it was obtained is said to 
have been thus: On some occasion of alteration in the 
church at Twickenham, England, or burial of some one in 
the same spot, the coffin of Pope was disinterred, and 
opened to see the state of the remains. By a bribe to the 
sexton of the time, possession of the skull was obtained for 
the night, and another skull was returned in place of it. 
Fifty pounds were paid for the successful management of 
this transaction. Whether this account is correct or not, 
the fact is that the skull of Pope figures in a private 
museum. 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


165 


464. Where is wine kept that is worth two million? 
of dollars a bottle ? 

Wine at two millions of dollars a bottle is a drink that in 
expense would rival the luxurious taste of barbaric splendor, 
when priceless pearls were thrown into the wine-cup to 
give a rich flavor to its contents; yet that there is such 
a costly beverage is a fixed fact. In the Rose apartment 
(so called from a bronze bas-relief ) of the ancient cellar 
under the Hotel de Ville, in the city of Bremen, is the 
famous u Rosenwein,” deposited there nearly two centuries 
and a half ago. There were twelve large cases, each 
bearing the name of one of the apostles; and the wine of 
Judas, despite the reprobation attached to his name, is to 
this day more highly esteemed than the others. One case 
of wine, containing five oxhoft of 204 bottles, cost 500 rix- 
dollars in 1624. Including the expenses of keeping up the 
cellar, and of the contributions, interests of the amounts, 
and interests upon interests, an oxhoft costs at the present 
time 555,657,640 rix-dollars, and consequently a bottle is 
worth 2,723,812 rix-dollars; a glass, or the eighth part of 
a bottle, is worth 340,476 rix-dollars, or $272,380; or at the 
rate of 340 rix-dollars, or $272, per drop. A burgomaster of 
Bremen is privileged to have one bottle whenever he enter¬ 
tains a distinguished guest who enjoys a German or 
European reputation. The fact illustrates the operation of 
interest, if it does not show the cost of luxury. 

465. Where were the Pillars of Hercules ? 

They were named Calpe and Abyla, and were situated at 
Gibraltar and Ceuta. They were torn asunder by Hercules 
that he might get to Gades {Cadiz). Upon them was 
inscribed the motto Ne plus ultra — “There is nothing 
beyond.” 


166 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


466. What is the origin of the phrase, 11 Kicking the 
bucket ” ? 

The tradition among the slangy fraternity as to the origin 
of this phrase, is that “ One Bolsover, having hung himself 
to a beam while standing on the bottom of a pail or bucket, 
kicked the vessel away in order to pry into futurity, and it 
was all up with him from that moment, — Finis ” ! 

467. What was the reply of Leonidas to Xerxes ? 

The Persian monarch sent messengers to the Spartan 
king at Thermopylae, saying: “ Go, and tell those madmen 
to deliver up their arms.” Leonidas replied: u Go, and tell 
Xerxes to come and take them.” 

468. Who said Apres moi le deluge ? 

“After me the deluge” (“When I am dead the deluge 
may come for aught I care ”). Generally ascribed to Prince 
Metternich, but he borrowed it from Madame Pompadour, 
who laughed off all the remonstrances of ministers at her 
extravagance by this famous saying. 

469. What is the story of Dorigen ? 

She was a lady of high family who married Arviragus 
out of pity for his love and meekness. Greatly beloved by 
Aurelius, to whom she had long been known, the latter 
tried during the absence of the husband to win her heart; 
but Dorigen made answer that she would never listen to 
him till the rocks that beset the coast of Britain are 
removed “and there n'is no stone yseen.” By the aid of 
a magician of Orleans, Aurelius caused all the rocks to 
disappear, and claimed his reward. Dorigen was very sad, 
but her husband insisted that she should keep her word, and 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


167 


she went to meet Aurelius, who, upon seeing her sorrow 
and hearing what Arviragus had counselled, declared he 
would rather die than injure so true a wife and noble 
a gentleman. She then returned to her husband happy and 
untainted. — Read Chaucer’s Franklines Tale. 

470. What is Endymion ? 

In Greek mythology, he is the sunset with whom the 
moon is in love. Endymion was condemned to endless 
sleep and everlasting youth, and Silene kisses him every 
night on the Latmian hills. 

471. Who was the u sleeping philosopher ” ? 

Epimenides, a philosopher of Crete, who fell asleep in 
a cave while a boy, and did not wake again for fifty-seven 
years, when he found himself endowed with miraculous 
wisdom. 

472. What was the origin of a “ bumper ” ? 

When the Roman Catholic religion was in the ascend¬ 
ancy in England, the health of the Pope was usually drunk 
in a full glass immediately after dinner — au bonpere: (to 
the good father), hence the word u Bumper.” 

473. Who killed one fourth of all the people on the 
earth ? 

Cain. 

474. Why was Washington called The American 
Fdbius ? 

Because he pursued the same military policy as did 
Fabius, the Roman general. He wearied out the English 


168 


QtJIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


troops by harassing them, without coming to a pitched 
battle. The same policy was pursued in France by Dugues- 
clin, who, thereby, acting upon the advice of Charles V., 
retrieved all the conquests of Edward and the Black 
Prince. 

475. What was the Web of Penelope ? 

A work “never ending, still beginning,” never done, but 
ever in hand. Penelope, according to Homer, was pestered 
by suitors while her husband, Ulysses, was absent at the 
siege of Troy. To relieve herself of their importunities, 
she promised to make her choice of one as soon as she had 
finished weaving a shroud for her father-in-law. Every 
night she unraveled what she had done in the day, and so 
deferred making any choice till Ulysses returned, when the 
suitors were sent away “ in haste.” 

476. What is meant by the expression, “the Nestor 
of politics ” ? 

Nestor was the King of Pylos, in Greece; the oldest and 
most experienced of the chieftains who went to the siege of 
Troy. On his return home his kingdom was abolished and 
all his subjects reduced to slavery. So the expression 
refers to a venerable leader or authority in any profession, 
trade, or business. Frequently, it simply means the oldest 
one engaged in any particular line of life’s duty. 

477. What is the meaning of the phrase, “ a Roland 
for an Oliver ” ? 

A blow for a blow, tit for tat. These two were paladins 
of Charlemagne, and their exploits are so similar that it is 
very difficult to keep them distinct. What one did the 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


169 


other did. Finally they met in single combat, and fought 
for five consecutive days on an island in the Rhine without 
either gaining the least advantage. One account states that 
Roland died of the wounds he received at Roncesvalles, and 
another, that escaping the general slaughter he perished of 
hunger and thirst in seeking to cross the Pyrenees. 

478. What are the Golden Verses? 

Those that always go under the name of Pythagoras and 
seem quite in accordance with his excellent precepts, though 
they are attributed by some to Epicarmos, and by others to 
Empedocles. They are as follows: — 

“ Ne’er suffer sleep thine eyes to close 
v Before thy mind hath run 

O’er every act, and thought, and word, 

From dawn to set of sun; 

For wrong take shame, hut grateful feel 
If just thy course hath been; 

Such effort day by day renewed 
Will ward thy soul from sin.” 

They are so called because they are as “ good as gold.” 

479. What is the meaning of Gibraltar? 

It is a contraction of Gebel al Tarik (Gob’ al’ Tar), 
“ Mountain of Tarik.” This Tarik was an Arabian general, 
who, under the orders of Mousa, having landed at Calpe, in 
710, utterly defeated Roderick, the Gothic King of Spain. 

480. When did the cackling of geese save Rome ? 

According to the tradition b.c. 390, when the Gauls in¬ 
vaded Rome. A detachment in single file had clambered 
up the hill so silently that the foremost man reached the top 
without being challenged; but while he was striding over 
the rampart, some sacred geese, disturbed by the noise, 


170 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


began to cackle and awoke the garrison. Marcus Manlius 
rushed to the wall and hurled the fellow over the precipice. 
In commemoration of this event, the Romans carried 
a golden goose in procession to the capitol every year. 

481. Who was John O’Groat ? 

He was a Dutchman who settled in the most norther J y 
point of Scotland, in the reign of James IV., and immortal¬ 
ized himself by the way he settled a dispute among his nine 
sons respecting precedency. He had nine doors to his 
mansion, one for each son, so that none could go out or 
come in before another. The distance from Land’s End to 
John O’Groat’s is nine hundred and ninety-four miles. His 
house is said to be a public inn at present. 

482. Who is the author of the oft-quoted saying) 
u What will Mrs. Grundy say ” ? 

The phrase is from Thomas Morton’s (1764-1838) Speed 
the Plough. In the first scene Mrs. Ashfield shows herself 
very jealous of neighbor Grundy, and Farmer Aslifield says 
to her: “Be quiet, woolye ? Aleways ding, dinging Dame 
Grundy into my ears. What will Mrs. Grundy zay ? What 
will Mrs. Grundy think ? ” 

483. Who was the Ungrateful Guest? 

This was the brand fixed by Philip of Macedon on a 
Macedonian soldier, who had been kindly entertained by a 
villager, and, when asked by the king what he could give 
him, requested the farm and cottage of his entertainer. 

484. What were the “ Hanging gardens of Babylon ” ? 

One of the seven wonders of the world, consisting of 
four acres of garden raised on a base supported by pillars, 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


171 


and towering in terraces one above another, three hundred 
feet in height. This mound, which at a distance looked 
like a vast pyramid covered with trees, was constructed by 
Nebuchadnezzar to gratify his wife Amytis, who felt weary 
of the flat plains of Babylon, and longed for something to 
remind her of her native Median hills. 

485. What fatal presents were received by Harmonia ? 

She was the daughter of Mars and Venus, and on the daj’- 
of her marriage with King Cadmus she received a necklace 
which proved fatal to all who possessed it; and from her 
father (to avenge the infidelity of her mother), the present 
of a robe dyed in all sorts of crimes, which infused wicked¬ 
ness and impiety into all her offspring. Both Harmonia and 
Cadmus, after having suffered many misfortunes, and seen 
their children a sorrow and shame to them, were changed 
into serpents. 

486. How was the Order of the G-arter established ? 

Various accounts are given, but the generally accepted 
tradition is that Edward III. gave a grand court ball, and 
one of the ladies present was the beautiful countess of 
Salisbury, whose garter of blue ribbon accidentally fell to 
the floor. The king, seeing a significant smile upon the 
faces of the guests, gallantly came to the rescue by picking 
up the ribbon, as he said: u Honi soit qui mal y pense v 
(“Evil be to him who evil thinks,” or, u Shame to him who 
thinks shame of this accident ”). Binding the ribbon round 
his own knee, he added: “I will bring it about that the 
proudest noble in the land shall think it an honor to wear 
this band.” This accident determined him to abandon his 
plan of forming an order of the Bound Table , and he insti¬ 
tuted instead the “ Order of the Garter.” 


172 


quizzism; and its key. 




487. How did Lord Kingsale acquire the right of 
wearing his hat in the royal presence ? 

When King John and Philippe II. of France agreed to 
settle a dispute respecting the duchy of Normandy by single 
combat, John de Courcy, earl of Ulster, was the English 
champion. As he rode into the field, the French champion 
put spurs to his horse and fled. The king asked the earl 
what reward should be given him, and he replied: “ Titles 
and lands I want not, of these I have enough; but in 
remembrance of this day, I beg the boon for myself and 
successors to remain uncovered in the presence of your 
highness, and all future sovereigns of the realm.” 

488. Who was Acestes ? 

A Sicilian who, in a trial of skill, discharged his arrow 
with such force that it took fire. Longfellow wrote: — 

“ Like Acestes* shaft of old 
The swift thought kindles as it flies.” 

489. Who was the “ laughing philosopher ” ? 

Democritus of Abdera, who viewed with supreme con¬ 
tempt the feeble powers of man. (460-357 u.c.) Heraclitus, 
a native of Ephesus, who lived 500 b.c., was called the 
u weeping philosopher ” because he grieved at the follies 
of mankind. 

490. How many Iliads are there ? 

Five. (1) The tale of the siege of Troy, an epic poem by 
Homer. (2) The French Iliad — u The Romance of the 
Pose,” begun by Guillaume de Lorris in the latter half of 
the thirteenth century, and continued by Jean de Meung in 
the early part of the fourteenth. To the original poem, 
Meung added a sequel of eighteen thousand lines. (3) The 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


173 


Scotch Iliad — u The Epigoniad,” a tale of the seven 
Grecian heroes who laid siege to Thebes, with the view of 
placing Polynices on the throne which his brother unlaw¬ 
fully held from him, by William Wilkie (1721-1772). (4) 
The German Iliad — u The Nibelungenlied,” put into its 
present form in 1210 by a wandering minstrel of Austria. 
It consists of twenty parts. (5) The Portuguese Iliad — 
u The Lusiad,” by Camoens. 

491. Where is Inchcape Rock ? 

It is twelve miles from land in the German Sea. Full of 
danger for navigators, the Abbot of Aberbrothok therefore 
fixed a bell on a float, which gave notice to sailors of its 
'whereabouts. Ralph the Rover, a pirate, cut the bell from 
the float and was wrecked on his return home on the same 
rock. Robert Southey (1774-1843) wrote a ballad on the 
subject. 

492. Who was the Infant Prodigy ? 

Christian Henry Heinecken, of Lubeck (1721-1725), who, 
at the age of twelve months, knew the chief events of the 
Pentateuch; at thirteen months, the history of the Old 
Testament; at fourteen months the history of the New 
Testament; at two and a half years he could answer any 
ordinary question of history or geography; at three years 
he knew well both French and Latin. 

493. Who was the Lady of the Haystack ? 

A young, beautiful, and graceful lady, evidently accus¬ 
tomed to good society, who made her appearance, in 1776, at 
Bourton, near Bristol, England. She lived for four years in 
a haystack, but was ultimately kept in an asylum by Mrs. 
Hannah More, and died suddenly in December, 1801. Mrs. 


1T4 


quizzism; and its key. 


More called her Louisa; she was probably a Mademoiselle 
La Frtilen, natural daughter of Francis Joseph I., emperor 
of Austria. 

494. What “ beauty ” was stoned to death by jealous 
women ? 

Lais, a courtezan, or Greek Hetaira, whose beauty excit¬ 
ing tiie jealousy of the Thessalonian women, was by them 
stoned to death. She was contemporary with Phryne, her 
rival, and sat to Apelles as a model. There were two of 
the name and the elder, who was the one u stoned to death,” 
was the most beautiful woman of Corinth, and lived at the 
time of the Peloponnesian war. 

495. What was u the tune of which the cow died ” ? 

The meaning is u words instead of food,” and the refer¬ 
ence is to an old song which represents a man who had 
bought a cow, but having no food to give her, bade his cow 
44 consider that it was not the season for grass.” 

“He took up his fiddle and he played her this tune: 

Consider, good cow, consider, 

This isn’t the time for grass to grow; 

Consider, good cow, consider.” 


496. What is the meaning of Texas ? 

It is the name given by Ponce De Leon to the Asimais 
Indians, and means “ friends.” 

497. Who were the eleven thousand virgins? 

The virgin train of St. Ursula, who, on their way to 
France were driven by adverse winds to Cologne, where 
they were martyred by the Huns. Visitors to that city are 
shown piles of skulls and human bones heaped in the wall, 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


175 


faced with glass, which the verger asserts are the relics of 
these unfortunate females. Ursula was a British princess. 

498. What predicted the bloody death of Cyrus the 
Great ? 

The speaking head of Orpheus is said to have predicted 
the fatal termination of the expedition of Cyrus into 
Scythia. The close of Cyrus’s life (529 b.c.) is involved 
in obscurity, one account being that he was slain in battle 
with the Massagetae, a Scythian tribe, whose infuriated 
queen, Tomyris, had his head thrown into a vat of boiling 
blood, his body being conveyed to Persia, and buried at 
Pasargadm; and another, that he lived in retirement to 
“a good old age.” 

499. What is the meaning of a “ sardonic smile ” ? 

A smile of contempt; as used by Homer. The Herha 

Sardonica (so called from Sardis, in Asia Minor) is so acrid 
that it produces a convulsive movement of the nerves of 
the face, resembling a painful grin. Byron says of the 
Corsair: “There was a laughing devil in his sneer.” 

500. What is the pons asinorum ? 

It is the Fifth Proposition, Book I. of Euclid — the first 
difficult theorem, which dunces rarely get over for the first 
time without stumbling. 

501. Who is the author of the saying, “Whatever 
is worth doing at all, is worth doing well ” ? 

It is found in the Letter of the Earl of Chesterfield 
(1694-1773), written March 10,1746. 


176 


quizzism; and its key. 


502. Who called Shakespeare “ the myriad-minded ” ? 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), in his Biog. Lit., ch. 
xv., writes, ‘-Our myriad-minded Shakespeare,” a phrase 
which he acknowledges to have borrowed from a Greek 
monk, who applies it to a patriarch of Constantinople. 

503. By whom was the familiar line u Hypocrisy is 
the homage vice pays to virtue ” written ? 

Francois, due de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680). It is 
Maxim 227 , to be found in the London edition (1871) of 
his works. 

504. How is glycerine obtained ? 

It is obtained pure by saponifying olive oil or animal fat 
with oxide of lead, or litharge. Discovered by Scheele, 
about 1779, it was called by him the “ sweet principle of 
fat,” and was further studied by Chevreul, who termed it 
the “ father of the fatty acids.” 

505. What was the origin of the name of Lake 
Itasca ? 

Certain explorers having found what they considered the 
source of the Mississippi, a discussion arose as to what they 
should call it; an old voyager said: “Let's make a new 
name by coining a word; some of you learned ones tell me 
what is the Latin for true ?” “ Veritas ,” was the answer.* 

“Well, now, what is the Latin for head ?” “Caput.” 
“ Now write the two words together.” The linguist wrote 
on a piece of birch bark, “ Veritascaput .” u Now drop the 
first and last syllables, and you will have a good name for 
this lake.” It was done, and the remainder was “Itasca 
an abbreviation of the words meaning “ The true head.” 


QTJIZZXSM; AND ITS KEY. 


177 


506. What is meant by Godwin’s oath ? 

The caution “ Take care you are not swearing Godwin’s 
oath ” to a person taking a voluntary and intemperate oath, 
or making violent protestations, had its rise in the following 
circumstances related by the monks: In 1053, Godwin, earl 
of Kent, was tried for the murder of Prince Alfred, brother 
of Edward the Confessor, and pardoned, but died at the 
king's table wdrile protesting with oaths his innocence of the 
murder; supposed by the historians of those times to have 
been choked with a piece of bread, as a judgment from 
Heaven, having prayed that it might stick in his throat 
if he were guilty of the murder. 

507. Who is the author of the couplet: — 

“ Early to bed and early to rise, 

Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise ” ? 

Hazlitt states that this distich occurs in Clarke’s Parcemi- 
ologia , 1639. He quotes in illustration: “ And then it is no 
marvell though I know him not, for my houre is eight 
o’clocke, though it is an infallible rule. Sanat, sanctificat, 
et ditat surgere mane [“Health and riches follow early 
rising ”]. (A Health to the Gentle Professor of Serving men, 
1598.) Franklin introduced this saying into the axioms of 
u Poor Richard.” 

508. What military order was instituted by Philip 
the Good ? 

The order of u Toison d'or,” or u Golden fleece,” to which 
thirty-one knights were admitted. The King of Spain after¬ 
ward became grand master of the order as Duke of Bur¬ 
gundy. It is said to have been instituted on account of the 
immense profit the duke (Philip the Good) made on the 
sale of wool. The first solemnities were performed at 


178 


QUTZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 

Burgos, at this duke’s marriage with Isabel of Portugal; 
and on this occasion the knights wore a scarlet cloak lined 
with ermine, with the collar opened, and the duke's cipher, in 
the form of a B, to signify Burgundy, together with flints 
striking fire, with the motto, “ Ante ferit quam Jlamma 
mieat ” (“He strikes before the spark gives light”). At 
the end of the collar hung a golden fleece, with this device, 
“ Pretium non vile laborum ” (“The not inglorious reward 
of toil”). The order afterward became common to all 
the princes of the house of Austria, as being descended 
from Mary, daughter of Charles the Bold, last duke of 
Burgundy. The order now belongs to both Austria and 
Spain, in accordance with a treaty made in 1725. 

509. Among what people was cutting off the hair 
inflicted as a punishment ? 

The Gauls; for with them hair was much esteemed, and 
hence the appellation Gallia comata. The royal family of 
France held it as a particular mark and privilege of the 
kings and princes of the blood to wear long hair, artfully 
dressed and curled. “ The clerical tonsure is of apostolic 
institution.” — Isidorus Hispalensis . In the year 155, Pope 
Anicetus forbade the clergy to wear long hair. Long hair 
went “ out of fashion ” during the protectorate of Cromwell, 
and hence the term Boundheads. In 1795, a tax was laid 
upon persons using hair-powder (an article which came 
into use in 1590), at one time yielding a revenue of one 
hundred thousand dollars per annum. 

510. How did the battle of Hanging Rock get its 
name ? 

From a large boulder on the edge of a high bank a few 
miles east of Rocky Mount, on the Catawba river, in South 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


179 


Carolina, which gives the name to the place. General 
Sumter, on the sixth of August, 1780, attacked and defeated 
a large body of British and Tories after an engagement of 
four hours, in which he lost twelve men killed and forty-one 
wounded. This was the first battle in which Andrew 
Jackson, afterward President of the United States, was 
engaged, having been taken to the battle-field in some 
capacity as aid; and, according to one account, being 
captured by the British and held captive for some days. 

511. What is the Achilles Puzzle ? 

An argument that Achilles could never catch a tortoise, 
because while the man was running the intervening distance, 
the tortoise would still get some distance ahead, and so on 
to infinity. This was invented by Zeno, the Electic, about 
455 B.C. 

512. Where is Cape Hancock ? 

It is situated at the extreme southwestern point of 
Washington Territory forming the northern headland at the 
mouth of the Columbia river. It was formerly known as 
Cape Disappointment. 

513. When did actresses first appear on the stage ? 

The first public appearance of women on the stage in 
England is said to have been encouraged by Charles II. in 
1G62; but the queen of James I. had previously performed 
in a theatre at court. Victor states that Mrs. Colman was 
the first actress on the stage and that she performed the 
part of “Ianthe” in Davenant’s Siege of BUodes , in 1656. 
Actresses appear to have been unknown to the ancients, 
men or eunuchs performing the female parts. The most 
celebrated actresses have been Mrs. Siddons, English, born 


180 


QtXIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY, 


1755, died 1831; Fanny Kemble, English, born 1811 
Mademoiselle Rachel,(Eliza Rachel Felix), French Jewess, 
born 1820, died 1858; Madame Ristori, Italian, born 1821. 

514. What country has never been conquered ? 

Scotland. There “Roman Eagles found unconquered 
foes.” * The union between Scotland and England, as the 
“Kingdom of Great Britain,” — though the crowns of 
these two countries were united by the accession of James 
I. (YI. of Scotland) March 24,1603, — took place in 1707. 

515. For what was Barataria Bay noted ? 

For being the “resort” of a band of privateersmen and 
pirates consisting of a thousand men, mostly French, under 
Lafitte, in 1814, as the English, by taking Guadaloupe in 
1810 had deprived them of the use of that port. The 
captain of an English sloop-of-war, then at Pensacola, on 
September 2, 1814, offered to receive them into the English 
service if they would join in the attack on New Orleans. 
Lafitte, however, informing Governor Claiborne of Louisi¬ 
ana, Commodore Patterson, with a United States squadron, 
was sent to Barataria in October of that year and captured 
ten vessels with twenty guns, the pirates not offering any 
resistance. Lafitte and a part of them afterward served 
under General Jackson in the defence of New Orleans, and 
were, in return, left unmolested. This bay is situated about 
fifteen miles by six, west of the Mississippi. 

♦Thomas Campbell wrote:— 

“ Triumphant be the thistle still unfurl’d, 

Dear Symbol wild! On Freedom’s hills it grows, 

Where Fingal stemm’d the tyrants of the world, 

And Roman Eagles found unconquer’d foes.” 

Written at request of the Highland Society in London 


QtnzzisM ; Aisrr> its key. 


181 


516. When was the Black Hawk War ? 

From the middle of May until the second of August, 
1832, when, in a battle at the junction of the Bad Axe 
river with the Mississippi, four hundred regulars and five 
hundred volunteers under General Atkinson totally defeated 
the five hundred Indians under Black Ilawk, captured that 
fiery Sac chief, drove the survivors beyond the Mississippi, 
and ended the war. Only twenty-two white people were 
killed and forty wounded during the summer, while the 
Indians lost two hundred and sixty-three warriors and 
forty women. 

517. Who was Michael Servetus ? 

A Spanish physician who knew of the circulation of the 
blood through the lungs, in 1553. Caesalpinus published an 
account of the general circulation, of which he had some 
confused ideas, afterward improved by experiments, in 
1569. Paul of Venice, or Father Paolo (real name Peter 
Sarpi), discovered the valves which serve for the circula¬ 
tion; but the honor of the definite discovery of the 
circulation belongs to William Harvey, between 1619 and 
1628. 

518. Of what science was Aristotle the founder ? 

He is considered the founder of the science of botany, 
about 347 B.C. The Historia Tlantarum of Theophrastus 
was written about 320 B.C. Authors on botany became 
numerous at the close of the fifteenth century, and were 
followed by Fuchsius, Bock, Bauhin, Caesalpinus, and 
others, who wrote between 1535 and 1600. The system and 
arrangement of the great Linnaeus was made known about 
1750; and Jussieu’s system, founded on Tournefort’s, and 
called “ the natural system,” in 1758. At Linnaeus’s death 


182 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


in 1778, the species of plants actually described amounted 
in number to eleven thousand eight hundred. The number 
of species now recorded is fully one hundred thousand. 

519. What is the “ water volcano ” ? 

Mount De Agua ( Volcan de Agua) in Guatemala, Central 
America, twenty-five miles southwest of the capital, New 
Guatemala. The traveller Stephen estimates its altitude at 
fourteen thousand four hundred and fifty feet above the 
level of the sea. Cultivated fields surround the base, and 
a belt of forest and verdure extends to the summit. Its 
name is derived from the fact that, occasionally, torrents of 
cold water flow out of its northern side. 

520. What is the meaning of Patagonia ? 

Large-footed. An appropriate appellation in reference 
to the pedal extremities of its natives. It is well to know, 
however, that Patagonia, as a distinct country, has dis¬ 
appeared from the map of South America, having been 
absorbed by the Argentine Republic. 

521. What is a “Dutch Tear” ? 

The term sometimes applied to Prince Rupert’s Drops, 
described in the answer to query No. 215. 

522. When was the attack made on Port Bowyer ? 

This fort, situated near Mobile, Alabama, was attacked 
by a British land force of seven hundred and thirty troops 
and two hundred Creek Indians on September 15, 1814. 
Though the attacking party was assisted by a naval force, 
the garrison of one hundred and thirty-four men, rank and 
file, defended it successfully. They lost only five killed and 


QtnzziSM ; akd its key. 


183 


four wounded, while the British lost one hundred and sixty- 
two killed and seventy wounded. 

523. What is the meaning of Brazil ? 

This South American empire was called the u Land of 
the Holy Cross ” by Alvarez de Cabral, a Portuguese, who 
discovered the country accidentally, by being driven on its 
coast in a tempest on the twenty-sixth of January, 1500. It 
was subsequently called Brazil, on account of its red wood. 
The French having seized Portugal in 1807, the royal family 
and nobles embarked for Brazil, and landed on March 7, 
1808. 

524. How did the Capitol in Rome derive its name ? 

So called because a human head {caput) was found when 
the foundations of the principal fortress of Rome, on Mons 
Tarpeius were being dug. On this hill a temple to Jupiter 
was built, thence called Jupiter Capitolinus. The foundation 
was laid by Tarquinius Priscus, 61G b.c. The building was 
continued by Servius Tullius, and completed by Tarquinius 
Superbus, but was not dedicated till 507 b.c. by the Consul 
Horatius. It was burnt during the civil wars, 83 B.C., rebuilt 
by Sylla, and dedicated again by Lutatius Catullus, 69 B.C. 
The Roman consuls made large donations to this temple, 
and the Emperor Augustus bestowed on it two thousand 
pounds’ weight of gold, of which metal the roof was com¬ 
posed; its thresholds were of brass, and its anterior was 
decorated with shields of solid silver. It was destroyed by 
lightning 188 b.c. ; by fire a.d. 70, and rebuilt by Domitian. 
The Capitoline games , instituted 387 B.C., were revived by 
Domitian, a.d. 86. The Campidoglio contains palaces of 
the senators, erected on the site of the Capitol by Michael 
Angelo soon after 1546. 


184 QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 

525. When was the clepsydra first used ? 

This u water-clock ” was introduced at Rome about 
158 B.C. by Scipio Nasica. Toothed wheels were applied 
to them by Ctesibius about 140 B.C. They are said to have 
been found by Caesar in Britain 55 B.C. The only clock 
supposed to be then in the world was sent by Pope Paul I. 
to Pepin, king of France, a.d. 760. 

526. What was the Praslin murder ? 

The killing of the Duchesse de Choiseul-Praslin by her 
husband, the Due de Praslin, at his own house, in Paris, on 
August 17, 1847. She was the only daughter of the cele¬ 
brated Marshal Sebastiani, the mother of nine children, and 
forty years old. The Due, who attempted to give the 
impression that it was the act of another, committed suicide 
by taking poison during the arrangements for the trial. 

527. Whose lamp sold for three thousand drachmas ? 

The earthen lamp of Epictetus, the philosopher, was sold 
for this sum after his death in the year 161. 

528. Where were the four labyrinths ? 

Pliny states that one was built by Daedalus, to secure the 
Minotaur, in the island of Crete, about 1210 b.c. ; another 
by Psammetichus, king of Moeris, in the isle of that name 
in Egypt, about 683 b.c. ; a third at Lemnos, remarkable for 
its sumptuous pillars, which seems to have been a stalactite 
grotto; and the fourth at Clusium, in Italy, erected by Por- 
senna, king of Etruria, about 520 b.c. Herodotus writes 
that the beauty and art of the labyrinth of Mendes were 
almost beyond belief; it had twelve halls and three thou¬ 
sand chambers, with, pillars; was incrusted with marble 



quizzism; and its key. 


185 


. 




and adorned with sculpture. With the labyrinth of Wood- 
stock is connected the story of Fair Rosamond. The Maze 
at Hampton Court was formed at the end of the sixteenth 
century. 

529. Who was the nurse of Romulus ? 

Acca Laurentia is said to have been either the nurse of 
Romulus or Remus, or a rich dissolute woman, who 
bequeathed her property to the Roman people. Laurentalia 
were festivals celebrated at Rome in her honor. They 
commenced about 621 b.c., and were held on the last day 
of April and the twenty-third of December. 

530. What city was founded by Pizarro ? 

Lima, Peru, in 1535 ; for, as he was marching through the 
country, he was struck with the beauty of the valley of 
Rirnac, and there he founded this city, and called it Ciudad 
de los Beyes , or City of the Kings. Here he was assassinated, 
June 26, 1541. 

531. Who is said to have kept one hundred and 
eighty Christmasses in his own house ? 

Golour M’Crain, of the Isle of Jura, one of the Hebrides, 
who died in the reign of Charles I., being the oldest man 
(as Greig states), on anything approaching to authentic 
records, that had lived for upwards of three thousand 
years. 

532. What is the London Stone ? 

One of the greatest antiquities of the city of London, 
having been known before the time of William I. It is said 
to have been placed by the Romans in Cannon Street, then 
the center of the city, 15 b.c. It was removed from the 


186 


quizzism; and its key. 


opposite side of the way in 1742. It was against this stone 
that Jack Cade struck his sword, exclaiming: “Now is 
Mortimer lord of this city! ” in 1450. 

533. What is the custom pf Borough-English ? 

It is the novel feature of the youngest son, instead of the 
eldest, succeeding to the property, rights, and burgage 
tenure, at his father’s death. This practice is in vogue in 
Maldon (Essex), England. 

534. Who is the Mantuan Bard ? 

Virgil (Publius Virgilius Maro) is often styled thus, as 
he was born in a village near the city of Mantua, Italy, in 
the year 70 b.c. 

Alfred Tennyson (1810-), at the request of the Mantuans, 
wrote one of his finest poems for the nineteenth centenary 
of Virgil’s death, which occurred October 22,19 B.C. 

“Roman Yirgil, thou that singest 
Ilion’s lofty temples robed in fire, 

Ilion falling, Rome arising, 

Wars, and filial faith, and Dido’s pyre.” 


535. Where can be found the common saying, “ Eaten 
me out of house and home ” ? 

It is found in Shakespeare’s King Henry , part ii. act ii. 
scene i., but the germ of the expression is given in much 
older writings. 

536. By whom were masks invented ? 

By Poppeea, the wife of Nero, to guard her complexion 
from the sun; but theatrical masks were in use among 
the Greeks and Romans. Horace attributes them to 
AEschylus; yet Aristotle said that the inventor and time of 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


187 


their introduction were unknown. Modern masks, and 
muffs, fans, and false hair for the women, were devised in 
Italy, and brought to England from France in 1572. 

537. Who is the author of 

“ Compound for sins they are inclined to, 

By damning those they have no mind to ” ? 

Samuel Butler (1612-1680). It is given in Iludibras , that 
witty burlesque of the manners of the Puritans, part i. 
canto i., line 215. Butler, who expected much from the 
popularity of his poem at court, looked in vain for promo¬ 
tion from Charles II., and at his death was buried at the 
expense of a friend. At a later period a handsome monu¬ 
ment was erected to him, which gave occasion to the 
following epigram: — 

“When Butler,—needy wretch! was yet alive, 

No generous patron would a dinner give: 

See him, when starved to death and turned to dust, 
Presented with a monumental bust. 

-The poet’s fate is here in emblem shown : 

He asked for bread, and he received a stone.” 

The probability of the non-advancement of Butler’s 
interests at court lay in his lack of conversational ingenuity 
and pleasantry; for it is related that the witty Charles II., 
who was so charmed with the humor of Iludibras that he 
caused himself to be introduced privately to the author, 
found Butler an intolerably dull companion. He was con¬ 
fident that so stupid a fellow never wrote a book. The Earl 
of Dorset, who sought an interview with the great satirist, 
was. similarly disappointed. Taking three bottles of Avine 
with him, he found the poet dull and heavy after the first 
had been drained, somewhat sparkling after the second 
bottle, and after the third more stupid and muzzy than ever, 
“ Your friendj” said the earl, after he had left with his 


188 


quizzism; and its key, 


introducer, “is like a nine-pin — small at both ends and 
great in the middle.” 

538. What is the meaning of Maunday-Thursday ? 

It is derived by Spelman from niande , a hand-basket, in 
which the king was accustomed to give alms to the poor; 
by others from dies mandati , the day on which Christ gave 
liis grand mandate that we should love one another. It is 
the Thursday before Good Friday, and on this day it was 
the custom of the English kings, or their almoners, to give 
alms, food, and clothing to as many poor men as their royal 
highnesses were years old. It was begun by Edward III., 
when he was fifty years of age, in 1363. 

539. Who threw the head of Asdrubal at his 
brother’s (Hannibal) feet ? 

Claudius Nero, who, with Livius, both of whom were 
consuls, led the Romans against the brother of Hannibal at 
the Metaurus, a river in central Italy, where Asdrubal (or 
Hasdrubal) was totally defeated and slain, while marching 
with large re-enforcements to aid Hannibal. It is said that 
Hannibal upon seeing the gory head of his brother was 
filled with dire forebodings and a distrust of his own 
military genius, which had until this time brought him a 
succession of victories; and this prophetic feeling was 
realized by a series of disasters and the final defeat which 
befell him. 

540. Who drank the burnt remains (ashes) of her 
brother ? 

Artemesia, who married her own brother, Mausolus, 
king of Caria, in Asia Minor, 377 b.c. At his death she 
drank in liquor his ashes after his body had been burned, 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


189 


and erected to his memory at Halicarnassus a monument, 
one of the seven wonders of the world (350 B.C.), termed 
Mausoleum. She invited all the literary men of her age 
to the funeral rites, and proposed rewards to him who 
composed the best elegiac panegyric upon her husband. 
The prize was adjudged to Theoporapus, 353 b.c. Arte- 
mesia died five years after this. The statute of Mausolus 
is among the antiquities brought from Halicarnassus by 
Mr. C. T. Newton, in 1857, and placed in the British 
Museum. Queen Victoria founded a mausoleum, for the 
yoyal family of England, at Frogmore, March 15, 1862. 

541. What was the Meal-Tub Plot ? 

A plot against the Duke of York, afterward James II., 
planned by one Dangerfield, who secreted a bundle of 
seditious letters in the lodgings of Colonel Maunsell, and 
then gave information to the custom-house officers to search 
for smuggled goods, on October 23, 1679. 

After Dangerfield’s arrest on suspicion of forging these 
letters, papers were found concealed in a meal-tub at the 
house of a woman with whom he cohabited, which contained 
the scheme in the shape of an accusation sworn against the 
most eminent persons in the Protestant interest (who were 
against the Duke of York’s succession), of treason, partic¬ 
ularly the Earls of Shaftesbury, Essex, and Halifax. On 
Dangerfield being whipped the last time, as part of his 
punishment, June 1, 1685, one of his eyes was struck out by 
a barrister named Robert Francis; this caused his death, for 
which his assailant was hanged. 

542. What was the origin of mesmerism ? 

The name is derived from its reputed founder, Frederick 
Anthony Mesmer, a German physician of Mersburg, who 



190 


QUIZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


published his doctrines in 1766, contending, by a thesis on 
planetary influence, that the heavenly bodies diffused 
through the universe a subtle fluid which acts on the nervous 
system of animated beings. Quitting Vienna for Paris in 
1778, he gained numerous proselytes to his system in 
France, where he received 340,000 livres. The government 
appointed a committee of physicians and members of the 
Academy of Sciences to investigate his pretensions. Among 
these were Franklin and Bailly, and the results appeared in 
an admirable paper drawn up by the latter, 1784, exposing 
the futility of animal magnetism, as the delusion was then 
termed. Mesmerism excited attention again about 1848, 
when Miss Harriet Martineau and others announced their 
belief in it. 

543. How did the Minie Bifle get its name ? 

From M. Minie, its inventor, at Vincennes about 1833. 
M. Minie, who was born about 1800, raised himself from 
a common soldier to the rank of chef d'escadron. Ilis 
rifle, which was considered superior to all previously made 
for accuracy of direction and extent of range, was adopted 
by the French, and, with various modifications, by the 
British army in 1852; but it has been long since superseded 
by more recent improved fire-arms. 

544. Who caused the massacre of one hundred thou¬ 
sand Homans ? 

Mithridates, king of Pontus, 88 b.c., and this massacre 
led to the Mithridatic War, remarkable for its duration, 
its many battles, the destruction of human life it 
occasioned, and the cruelties of its commanders. Mithri¬ 
dates, having captured the Consul Aquilius, made him ride 
on an ass through a great part of Asia, crying out as he 



quizzism; and its key. 


191 


rode: “ I am Aquilius, consul of the Romans! ” He 
ultimately dispatched him by ordering melted gold to be 
poured down his throat, in derision of his avarice, 85 b.C. 
Mithridates was defeated by Pompey 66 b.c., and com¬ 
mitted suicide, 63 b.c. 

545. Who was the “ Corinthian Maid ? ” 

The daughter of Dibutades, the Corinthian, who is the 
reputed inventor of models in clay. This daughter being 
about to be separated from her lover, who was going on 
a distant journey, traced his profile by his shadow on the 
wall. Her father filled up the outline with clay, which 
he afterward baked, and thus produced a figure of the 
object of her affection, giving rise to an art, till then 
unknown, — about 985 B.c. 

546. In what battle did the Americans whip the 
Loyalists without the loss of a single man ? 

That of Moore’s Creek Bridge (North Carolina), on the 
twenty-seventh of February, 1776, when the Tory Scotch 
Highlanders living at Fayetteville and vicinity, led by Don¬ 
ald M’Donald, had a severe engagement with the Americans, 
led by Colonels Caswell and Lillington. The Scotch were 
fifteen hundred strong, while the Americans only numbered 
about one thousand. The former, defeated, lost seventy 
men killed and wounded; the latter none, and had only 
two wounded. 

547. When was the first newspaper issued ? 

The Roman Acta Diurna were issued, it is said, 691 B.c. 
In modern times, a Gazetta , which derived its name from its 
price, a small coin, was published in Venice about 1536. 
The Gazette de France , now existing, first appeared in April, 


192 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


1G31’, edited by Renaudot, a physician. It was patronized 
by the king, Louis XIII., who wrote one article for it. and 
by Richelieu. The first real newspaper published in Eng¬ 
land was established by Sir Roger L’Estrange in 16G3; it 
was entitled the Public Intelligencer , and continued nearly 
three years, when it ceased, on the appearance of the 
Gazette. In the reign of James I. (1622) appeared the 
London Weekly Courant; and in the year 1643 (the period 
of the Civil War) were printed a variety of publications, but 
none deserving the name of newspapers. The first Amer¬ 
ican newspaper was The Boston News-Letter which appeared 
on April 24, 1704, although in September, 1G00, an 
adventurous printer had made a similar attempt in the 
same town, the publication of which was suppressed by the 
authorities, and only one copy is now known to be in 
existence. 

By some, the oldest newspaper in the world is said to 
be the King-Pau (“Capital Sheet”), published in Pekin, 
and, since the fourth of June, 1882, issued in a new form, 
prescribed by special edict of the reigning emperor, Quang- 
soo. It first appeared a.d. 911, but came out only at 
irregular intervals. Since the year 1351, however, it has 
been published weekly, and of uniform size. Until its 
reorganization by imperial decree it contained nothing but 
orders in council and court news, was published about mid¬ 
day, and cost two kesh , or something less than a half-penny. 
Now, however, it appears in three editions daily. The 
first, issued early in the morning and printed on yellow 
paper, is called Hsing-Pau (“ Business Sheet ”), and contains 
trade prices, exchange quotations, and all manner of com¬ 
mercial intelligence. Its circulation is a little over eight 
thousand. The second edition, which comes out during the 
forenoon, also printed upon yellow paper, is devoted to 
official announcements, fashionable intelligence, and general 


QiriZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


m 


rjews. Besides its ancient title of King-Pau , it owns another 
designation, that of Shuen-Pau (“Official Sheet’’). The 
third edition appears late in the afternoon, is printed on 
red paper and bears the name of Titani-Pau (“ Country 
Sheet”). It consists of extracts from the earlier editions, 
and has a large list of subscribers in the provinces. All 
these issues of the King-Pau are edited by six members 
of the Han-Lin Academy of Sciences, appointed and sal¬ 
aried by the Chinese government. The total number of 
copies printed daily varies between thirteen and fourteen 
thousand. 

548. What was Monmouth’s Rebellion ? 

James, duke of Monmouth (born at Rotterdam, April 9, 
1649), a natural son of Charles II., by Lucy Waters, was 
banished from England for his connection with the Eye- 
house plot in 1683. He invaded England at Lyme, June 11, 
1685; was proclaimed King at -Taunton, June 20; was 
defeated at Sedgemoor, near Bridgewater, July 6; and 
was beheaded on Tower Hill, July 15. 

549. How did the dahlia derive its name ? 

From the Swedish botanist, Professor Dahl, who first 
cultivated it. This beautiful flower was brought from 
Mexico, of which it is a native, in the present century. It 
soon became a favorite in England, and in 1815, about two 
months after the battle of Waterloo, it was introduced into 
France, and the celebrated florist Andre Thouine suggested 
various practical improvements in its management. The 
botanist Georgi shortly before introduced it at St. Peters¬ 
burg; hence the dahlia is known in Germany as the 
Georgina . 


194 


QUJZZISM ; AND ITS KEY. 


550. What was the result of Despard’s Conspiracy ? 

Colonel Edward Marcus Despard, a native of Ireland, 
and Broughton, Francis, Graham, Macnamara, Wood, and 
Wrattan, conspired to seize the king’s person on the day of 
his meeting Parliament, January 16, 1803, to destroy him, 
and overturn the government. A special commission was 
issued on February 7, and they suffered death on the top of 
Horsemonger Lane jail, Southwark, February 21, 1803. 
Between thirty and forty persons of inferior order were 
taken into custody, on November 16, 1802, for this con¬ 
spiracy, which caused great consternation at the time. 

551. When was idleness punished with as much 
severity as murder ? 

In 621 B.C., by Draco’s Laws, enacted by him when 
archon of Athens. On account of their severity they were 
said to be written in blood. This code was set aside by 
Solon’s, 594 B.C. 

552. What is the story of the Countess de la Motte 
and the diamond necklace ? 

Boehmer, the court jeweler of France, offered the queen, 
Marie Antoinette, in 1785, a diamond necklace for £64,000. 
The queen desired the necklace, but dreaded the expense. 
The Countess de la Motte (of the ancient house of Yalois) 
forged the queen's signature, and by pretending that the 
queen had an attachment for him, persuaded the Cardinal 
de Bohan, the queen’s almoner, to conclude a bargain with 
the jeweler for the necklace for £56,000. De la Motte thus 
obtained the necklace and made away with it, and for this 
she was tried in 1786, and sentenced to be branded on the 
shoulders and imprisoned for life. She accused, in vain, the 
celebrated Italian adventurer, Cagliostro, of complicity in 




QITIZZISM j AND ITS K0CT. 


195 


the affair, he being then intimate with the cardinal. Making 
her escape, she went to London, where she was killed by 
falling from a window-sill in attempting to escape an arrest 
for debt. De Rohan was tried and acquitted, April 14,1786. 
The public in France at that time suspected the queen of 
being a party to the fraud, and Talleyrand wrote in refer¬ 
ence to it: “I shall not be surprised if this miserable affair 
overturn the throne.” 

553. Who was the “ El Dorado ” ? 

The word means the “ Gilded Man.” When the Spaniards 
had conquered Mexico and Peru, they began to look for 
new sources of wealth, and, having heard of a golden city 
ruled by a king or priest, smeared in oil and rolled in gold 
dust (which report was founded on an annual custom of the 
Indians), they organized various expeditions into the 
interior of South America, about 1560, which were accom¬ 
panied with disasters and crimes. Raleigh’s expeditions 
in search of gold, in 1596 and 1617, led to his downfall, and 
subsequent death on the scaffold. 

554. Who were the Eabii ? 

A noble and powerful family at Rome, who derived their 
name from faba , a bean, because some of their ancestors 
cultivated this pulse; they were said to be descended from 
Fabius, a supposed son of Hercules, and were once so 
numerous that they took upon themselves to wage war 
against the Yeientes. They came to a general engagement 
near the Cremera, in which all the family, consisting of 
three hundred and six men, were slain in a sudden attack, 
447 b.C. There only remained one, whose tender age had 
detained him at Rome, and from him arose the noble Fabii 
in the following ages. Fabius Cunctator (The Delayer) kept 


196 


quizzism; and its key. 


Hannibal in check for some time without coming to an 
engagement. 217-216 B.C. 

555. What is the oldest fable on record ? 

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) wrote : “ Jotham’s fable of 
the trees (Judges ix., about 1209 B.C.) is the oldest extant, 
and as beautiful as any made since.” Nathan’s fable of the 
poor man (2 Sam. xii., about 1031 B.C.) is next in antiquity. 
The earliest collection of fables extant is of Eastern origin, 
and is preserved in the Sanscrit. The fables of Yishnoo 
Sarma, called Pilpay, are the most beautiful, if not the 
most ancient, in the world. (Sir William Jones.) The well- 
known iEsop's Fables, which are doubtless a compilation 
from various sources, supposed to have been written about 
565 or 620 B.C., were versified by Babrius, a Greek poet, 
about 130 B.C., and turned into prose by Maximus Planudes, 
a Greek monk, about 1320, 'who added other fables, and 
appended a worthless life of HDsop. The fables of La 
Fontaine (1700) and Gay (1727) are also highly celebrated. 

556. What was the original cause of exempting 
members of Congress or Parliament from arrest (except 
for felonies) during a session ? 

The Hon. George Ferrars, a member of Parliament, being 
in attendance on the House, was taken in execution by 
a sheriff’s officer for debt, and committed to the Compter 
prison, in March, 1542. The House dispatched their sergeant 
to require his release, which was resisted, and an affray 
taking place, his mace was broken. The House in a body 
repaired to the Lords to complain, when the contempt was 
adjudged to be very great, and the punishment of the 
offenders was referred to the Lower House. On another 
messenger being sent to the sheriffs by the Commons, they 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


197 


delivered up the senator, and the civil magistrates and the 
creditor were committed to the Tower, the inferior officers 
to Newgate, and an act was passed releasing Mr. Ferrars 
from liability from debt. The king, Henry VIII., highly 
approved of all these proceedings, and the transaction 
became the basis of that rule of Parliament which exempts 
members from arrest. — Holinshed. 

557. When was the fan first known ? 

It was known to the ancients, for Terence in his Fnunchus , 
B.C. 166, wrote: u Cape hoc flabellum, et ventulum huic sic 
facito ” (“Take this fan and give her thus a little air”). 
Fans, together with muffs, masks, and false hair, were first 
devised by the harlots in Italy, and were brought to England 
from France. Pardon states that the fan was used by 
females to hide their faces at church. In the British 
Museum are fan-handles and other articles of Egyptian 
manufacture, used anciently by women. 

558. When did funeral orations “ come in fashion ” ? 

The Romans pronounced harangues over their dead, 

when eminent for rank, great deeds, and virtues. Refer¬ 
ence has already been made to Theopompus obtaining a 
prize for the best Funeral Oration in praise of Mausolus. 
Popilia was the first Roman lady who had an oration pro¬ 
nounced at her funeral, which was done by her son, Crassus; 
and it is observed by Cicero that Julius Caesar performed a 
similar service for his aunt, Julia, and his wife, Cornelia. 
In Greece, Solon was the first who pronounced a funeral 
oration, according to Herodotus, 580 b.c. David lamented 
over Saul and Jonathan, 1056 B.C., and over Abner, 1048 
B.C. (2 Sam. i. and iii.). Funeral Games , which among the 
Greeks were chiefly horse-races, and among the Romans 


198 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


processions and mortal combats of gladiators around the 
funeral pile, were abolished by the Emperor Claudius, 
a.d. 47. 

559. What was Oates’s Plot ? 

Titus Oates, who at one time served as a chaplain of 
a ship-of-war, was dismissed for immoral conduct, and 
became a lecturer in London. In conjunction with Dr. 
Tongue he invented a plot against the Roman Catholics, 
who, he asserted, had conspired to assassinate Charles II., 
and extirpate the Protestant religion. He made it known 
August 12,1678, and, in consequence, about eighteen Roman 
Catholics were accused and upon false testimony convicted 
and executed: among them the aged Viscount Stafford, 
December 29, 1680. Oates was afterward tried for perjury 
(in the reign of James II.), and being found guilty, was 
fined, put in the pillory, publicly whipped from Newgate to 
Tyburn, and sentenced to imprisonment for life, May, 1685. 
On the accession of William and Mary he was pardoned, 
and a pension of £3 a week granted him in 1689. 

560. Who was Orator Henley ? 

An English clergyman of some talents and great eccen¬ 
tricity who obtained this name by opening what he called 
his u Oratory,” in London (1726). He had a kind of Chapel 
in Newport Market, where he gave lectures on theological 
topics on Sundays, and on other subjects on Wednesdays of 
every week. Novelty procured him a number of hearers; 
but he was too imprudent to gain any permanent advantage 
from his project. After having served as a butt for the 
satirical wits, poets, and painters of his time, he removed 
his oratory to Clare Market, and sank into comparative 
obscurity and contempt prior to his death in 1756. 


QtJIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 199 

561. Who defeated five kings ? 

Alfonso, count or duke of Portugal, who, at Ourique 
(Portugal), on the twenty-fifth of July, 1139, encountered 
five Saracen kings and a prodigious army of Moors, and 
signally defeated them. He was hailed King upon the spot. 
Lisbon, the capital, was then taken, and soon after he was 
crowned there as their first king, the Moorish dominion 
being overthrown. 

562. How was Captain Cook killed ? 

He fell a victirn to the sudden resentment of the natives 
of Owhyhee, or Hawaii, on February 14, 1779; having 
discovered the island the previous year. A boat having 
been stolen by one of the islanders, the captain went on 
shore to seize the king, and keep him as a hostage till the 
boat was restored. The people would not submit to this 
insult, and their resistance brought on hostilities, during 
which Captain Cook and some of his companions were y 
killed. 

563. What was the Pantheon ? 

A temple built at Rome by Augustus Caesar, or his son-in- 
law, 27 b.C. It was in a round form, having niches in the 
wall, where the image or representation of a particular god 
was set up; the gates were of brass, the beams covered 
with gilt brass, and the roof covered with silver plate. 
Pope Boniface III. dedicated it to the Virgin Mary, and 
all the saints, by the name of S. Maria della Rotonda, or 
“ad Martyres a.d. 608. The Pantheon in London was 
erected by subscription, and opened January 25, 1772. It 
was formed into an opera house; burnt down January 14, 
1792; was rebuilt in 1795 and 1812; and made a bazaar in 
1834. 


200 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


564. Who was Nell Gwynn ? 

A popular actress and favorite of Charles II. In his 
History of the Stage , Curll states that Nell first captivated 
the king by her manner of delivering the epilogue to 
Dryden’s Tyrannic Love; or , The Boyal Martyr. The 
tragedy was founded upon the story of the martyrdom of 
‘St. Catherine, by way of compliment to Catherine of Bra- 
ganza. She personated Valeria , the daughter of Maximin, 
tyrant of Rome. The “ last words ” of the Merry Monarch 
were: “Don’t let poor Nelly starve.” She died poor and 
neglected. 

565. Who was the first parricide of whom we have 
any account ? 

Ostius, who, having killed his father about 172 B.C., was 
first scourged by the Romans, then sewed up in a leathern 
sack made air-tight, with a live dog, a cock, a viper, and an 
ape, and thus cast into the sea. Before this there had been 
no law against it in Athens or Rome, as such a crime was 
not supposed possible. 

566. What is the meaning of “ Remember the 
Raisin ” ? 

The river Raisin is remarkable in history as the place of 
a foul massacre on the twenty-third of January, 1813. The 
Americans had been attacked and routed by General Proctor, 
half of whose force consisted of Indians. The American 
general and his second in command were captured, and 
their troops surrendered on Proctor’s promise of protection 
and safety. The British general marched off leaving no 
guard for the Americans. The Indians returned and burnt 
the sick and wounded in the houses; threw others into the 
flames; tomahawked and scalped many more. Only thirty- 



QTJIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


201 


three escaped out of a thousand. The victorious American 
army under General Harrison afterward fired their hearts 
to deeds of valor and bravery by sounding this war-cry. 

567. What was the origin of pasquinades ? 

Small satirical poems obtained this name about 1533. 
They originated in the sixteenth century at the stall of 
a cobbler named Pasquin, at Pome, where a number of idle 
persons used to assemble to listen to his pleasant sallies, and 
to relate little anecdotes in their turn, and indulge them¬ 
selves in raillery at the expense of the passers-by. After 
the cobbler’s death the statue of a gladiator was found near 
his stall, to which the people gave his name, and on which 
the wits of the time, secretly at night, affixed their lampoons 
upon the State and their neighbors. 

568. What is the name of the isthmus that connects 
the Crimea with the mainland ? 

Perekop, which is five miles broad. It was called by the 
Tartars, Orkapou, u Gate of the Isthmus,” which the 
Russians changed to its present name, signifying a barren 
ditch. The Tartar fortress was taken and destroyed by the 
Russian Marshal Munich in 1736, by assault, although it was 
defended by one thousand Janissaries and one hundred 
thousand Tartars. It was again strongly fortified by the 
khan, but was again taken by the Russians in 1771, who 
have since retained it. 

569. What was the first known game of cards ? 

Picquet, which was invented, it is said, by Joquemin, for 
the amusement of Charles YI. of France, then in feeble 
health, in the year 1390. 



202 


quizzism; and its key. 


570. Who was Taurosthenes ? 

He was the one who, according to Ovid, announced to his 
father his victory at the Olympic games by sending to him 
at HSgina a pigeon stained with purple. Relative to carrier- 
pigeons it is said that Hirtius and Brutus corresponded by 
means of them at the siege of Modena. In modern times, 
the most noted were the pigeons of Aleppo, which served 
as couriers at Alexandretta and Bagdad. Thirty-two 
pigeons sent to Antwerp were liberated from London at 
seven o’clock in the morning, and on the same day, at noon, 
one of them arrived at Antwerp; a quarter of an hour 
afterward a second arrived; the remainder on the following 
day, November 23,1819. 

571. The house of Plantagenet furnished fourteen 
English kings; what is the meaning of the name ? 

The kings were from Henry II. to Richard III., killed at 
the battle of Boswortli. The name originated with Fulke 
Martel, earl of Anjou, who contrived the death of his 
nephew, the Earl of Brittany, in order to succeed to the 
earldom. His confessor sent him, in atonement for the 
murder, to Jerusalem, attended by only two servants, one 
of whom was to lead him by a halter to the Holy Sepulcher, 
the other to strip and whip him there, like a common male¬ 
factor. Broom, in French genet, in Latin genista , being the 
only tough, pliant shrub in Palestine, the noble criminal was 
smartly scourged with it, and from this instrument of his 
chastisement he was called Planta-genista , or Plantagenet. 

57 2. What was the aqua tofana ? 

A deadly poison freely administered by Italians in the 
seventeenth century, and so called from the name of the 
woman Tofania, who made and sold it iu small flat phials. 



quizzism; and its key. 


203 


She carried on this traffic for half a century, and eluded 
the police; but, on being taken, confessed that she had 
been a party in poisoning six hundred people. Numerous 
persons were implicated by her, and many of them were 
publicly executed. All Italy was thrown into a ferment, 
and many fled, and some persons of distinction, on con¬ 
viction, were strangled in prison. It had been used chiefly 
by married women who were tired of their husbands. Four 
or six drops were a fatal dose; but the effect was not 
sudden, and therefore not suspected. It was as clear as 
water, but the chemists have not agreed about its real 
composition. A proclamation of the pope described it as 
aquafortis distilled into arsenic, but others considered it as 
a solution of crystallized arsenic. Between 1666 and 1676 the 
Marchioness de Brinvilliers poisoned her father and two 
brothers and many others. She was executed July 16, 1676. 

573. Where was Nephelo-coccygia ? 

A town in the clouds built by the cuckoos. It was built 
to cut off from the gods the incense offered by man, so as to 
compel them to come to terms. — Aristophanes , born about 
444 b.C. — The Birds. 

574. How was Pompeii discovered ? 

This city, first demolished by an earthquake in A.d. 63, 
was buried from human view by the awful eruption of 
Vesuvius on the night of August 24, 79. After a lapse of 
fifteen centuries, a countryman, as he was turning up the 
ground, accidentally found a bronze figure; and this dis¬ 
covery attraoting the attention of the learned, farther 
search brought numerous other objects to light, and at 
length the city was once more shone on by the sun. The 
part first cleared in 1750 was supposed to be the main street- 


204 


quizzism; and its key. 


The kings of Naples have greatly aided in uncovering 
Pompeii, and the present Italian government resumed the 
work in 1863. 

575. Who was called the “tenth muse ?” 

Sappho, the lyric poetess of Mitylene, who invented the 
Sapphic Verse. She was equally celebrated for her poetry, 
beauty, and a hopeless passion for Phaon, a youth of her 
native country, on which last account, it is said, she threw 
herself into the sea from Mount Leucas, and was drowned. 
The Lesbians, after her death, 584 B.C., paid her divine 
honors, and called her the tenth muse, The story is con¬ 
sidered generally to be fabulous. This term has also been 
applied to Mrs. Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), the daughter 
of one Governor of Massachusetts, and wife of another. 
In 1640, she published a volume of poems which excited 
great admiration in England. 

576. What was the Strelitz ? 

The imperial guard of Russia, established by Ivan IV. in 
1568. Becoming frequently seditious, it was suppressed by 
Peter the Great; great numbers were put to death, many by 
the czar’s own hand in the years 1697-1704 

577. Who were the Volsci ? 

An ancient Latin people who were frequently at war with 
the Romans. From their capital, Corioli, Caius Martius 
(who defeated them about 490 b.c.) derived his name 
Coriolanus. The story of his banishment by his ungrateful 
countrymen; of his revenge on them by bringing the Volsci 
to the gates of Rome, yet afterward sparing the city at the 
entreaties of his mother, Volumnia (487 B.C.), is considered 
by many as a poetical legend. The Volsci were finally 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


205 


subdued and incorporated into the Roman people about 
338 b.C. 

578. What was the Thundering Legion ? 

During a contest with the invading Marcomanni, the 
prayers of some Christians in a Roman legion are said to 
have been followed by a storm of thunder, lightning, and 
rain, which tended greatly to discomfit the enemy. Hence 
the legion received the above name in the year a.d. 174. 

579. What king was crowned on the field of battle ? 
Henry VII. at the battle of Bosworth Field, which was 

the thirteenth and last battle between the houses of York 
and Lancaster, fought on August 22, 1485. It is said that 
Henry was crowned on the spot with the crown of Richard 
HI., which was found in a hawthorn bush near the field. 

580. Who died in consequence of being ducked as 
a wizard ? 

A poor old paralyzed Frenchman who thus suffered death 
at Castle Hedingham, Essex, England, on September 4, 
1863. 

581. Who is the author of the familiar quotation: 
“ Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast ”? 

William Congreve (1670-1729). It is found in The Mourn¬ 
ing Bride , act i. sc. i. In the same is to be found the 
well-known quotation: — 

■ “ Earth has no rage like love to hatred turned, 

Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.” 

and in The Old Bachelor , by the same writer, are the lines: —• 
“Thus grief still treads upon the heels of pleasure; 

Married in haste, we may repent at leisure.” 



206 


quizzism; and its key. 


582. What is the story of Mazeppa ? 

Historically he was the hetman of the Cossacks (1640- 
1709). He was born of a noble Polish family in Podolia, 
and became a page at the court of Jan Caf-imir, king of 
Poland. While in this capacity he intrigued >vith Theresia, 
the young wife of a Podolian count, who oiscovered the 
amour, and had the young page lashed to a wild horse and 
turned adrift. The horse rushed in mad fui y and dropped 
down dead in the Ukraine, where Mazeppa w is released by 
a Cossack family, who nursed him carefully in their own 
hut. In time he became secretary to the heti tan, and at the 
death of the prince was appointed his successor. Peter I. 
much admired his energy of character, an 1 created him 
prince of the Ukraine, but in the wars with Sweden, 
Mazeppa deserted to Charles XII., and ] ought against 
Russia at the battle of Pultowa. After the loss of this 
battle, Mazeppa fled to Yalentia, and then to dender. Some 
say he died a natural death, and others that he was put to 
death by the czar for treason. Lord Byron i lakes Mazeppa 
tell his tale to Charles after the battle of Pul towa. 

“For time at last sets all things even; 

And, if we do but watch the hour, 

There never yet was human power 
That could evade, if unforgiven, 

The patient search and vigil long 
Of him who treasures up a wrong. ’ 


583. What is the origin of the fable of the “Man in 
the Moon ” ? 

Its origin is from Numbers xv., 32-36. Some say it is 
a man leaning on a fork, on which he is ca Tying a bundle 
of sticks picked up on a Sunday. Some ad* a dog also, and 
thus the prologue in Midsummer Night's Dr ;am says, “ This 
man with lantern, dog, and bush of th >rns, presenteth 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


207 


moonshine.” Chaucer writes, u He stole the bush.” {Test, 
of Creseide .) Another tradition states that the man is Cain, 
with the dog and thorn bush; the thorn bush being 
emblematical of the thorns and briers of the fall, and the 
dog being the u foul fiend.” Some poets make out the 
“man” to be the youth Endymion, taken thither by Diana. 

584. Who were the three angels who warned Abraham 
of Sodom’s destruction? 

According to the Koran they were Israfil, Gabriel, and 
Michael. The first is the angel of music, who possessed 
the most melodious voice of all God’s creatures. He is to 
sound the Resurrection Trump, and will ravish the ears 
of the saints in paradise. 

585. Who was Iros? 

The beggar of gigantic stature who kept watch over the 
suitors of Penelope. His real name was Arneos, but the 
suitors nicknamed him Iros because he carried their mes¬ 
sages for them. Ulysses, on his return, felled him to the 
ground with a single blow, and flung him out of doors. 

586. What stone did the ancients believe (when 
placed under the tongue) imparted the gift of prophecy ? 

The Hyena was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians. 
Pliny states that a certain stone, called the “ hyrnnia,” 
found in the eye of the creature, when placed under the 
tongue, imparted this gift. 

587. Who were the “Notables”? 

In French history they were an assembly of notable men, 
selected by the king, of the house of Valois, to form 


208 


quizzism; and its keV. 


a parliament. They were convened in 1626 by Richelieu, 
and not again till 1787, when Louis XVI. called them 
together with the view of relieving the nation from some of 
its pecuniary embarrassments. The last time they ever 
assembled was November 6, 1788. 

588. Who were Inkle and Yarico ? 

The hero and heroine of a drama, so called, by George 
Colman. The story is from the Spectator , No. 11. Inkle is 
a young Englishman who is lost in the Spanish Main; he 
falls in love with Yarico, an Indian maiden, whom he lives 
with as his wife; but no sooner does he find a vessel to take 
him to Barbadoes, than he sells her for a slave. 

589. Why was the Passion Plower so named ? 

Because of a fancied resemblance in different parts of the 
flower to various articles connected with the “passion” or 
crucifixion of our Lord. The five anthers symbolize the five 
wounds; the three styles, the three nails; the Column on 
which the ovary is elevated, the pillar of the cross; the 
fleshy threads within the flower, the crown of thorns; and 
the calyx, the nimbus. 

590. Prom what legend did Swift derive his model of 
Gullivers Travels ? 

From that relating to the Pygmies, a nation of dwarfs 
on the banks of the Upper Nile. Every spring the cranes 
made war upon them, and devoured them. They cut down 
every corn-ear with an axe. When Hercules went to the 
country they climbed up his goblet by ladders to drink from 
it; and while he was asleep two whole armies of them fell 
upon his right hand, and two upon his left; but Hercules 
rolled them all in his lion’s skin. 


QtTIZZTSM ; AND Its KEY. 209 

591. Who wrote, u When our ears do glow and tingle, 
some do talk of us in our absence ” ? 

Pliny. Shakespeare, in Much Ado About Nothing (iii. 1), 
makes Beatrice say to Ursula and Hero, who had been talk¬ 
ing of her, “ What fire is mine ears ? ” Sir Thomas Browne 
ascribes this conceit to the superstition of guardian angels, 
who touch the right ear if the talk is favorable, and the left 
if otherwise. This is done to cheer or warn. 

“One ear tingles; some there be 
That are snarling now at me.” 

Herrick, Hesperides. 

Relative to the phrase “Walls have ears,” Chaucer (1328- 
1400) wrote in the Canterbury Tales (v. 1524) : “ That field 
hath eyen, and the wood hath ears.” There is a beautiful 
superstition among the Irish peasantry that when a sleeping 
infant smiles, angels are whispering to it. 

592. What is the origin of the sandwich ? 

Generally ascribed to the Earl of Sandwich, a man so 
fond of gambling that he passed whole days in the amuse¬ 
ment, bidding the waiter bring him for refreshment a piece 
of meat between two pieces of bread, which he ate, without 
stopping from play. But this contrivance was not first used 
by the earl in the reign of George III., as the Romans were 
very fond of “ sandwiches,” called by them offula. 

593. Upon what fact is Goldsmith’s She Stoops to 
Conquer based ? 

It owes its existence to an incident which actually 
occurred to the author. When Goldsmith was sixteen years 
old, a wag residing at Ardagh directed him, when passing 
through that village, to Squire Featherstone’s house aB the 


£L0 


QUIZZISM; AND ITS KEY, 


village inn. The mistake was not discovered by the poet 
until he demanded his bill at the conclusion of the morning 
meal, and then no one enjoyed it more heartily than Oliver 
himself. 

The squire, having an acquaintance with Goldsmith's 
father, had resolved to carryout the joke, having readily 
discovered the hoax that had been perpetrated. The pom¬ 
pous young student' ordered a good supper and invited the 
landlord ( ?) with his wife and family to share it with him. 
He treated them each with a bottle of wine, and upon retir¬ 
ing ordered a hot cake to be prepared for his breakfast. 

594. What was the Day of the Dupes ? 

On November 11,1630, when Marie de Medicis and Gaston, 
due d'Orleans, extorted from Louis XIII. a promise that he 
would dismiss his minister, the Cardinal Richelieu. The 
cardinal went in all speed to Versailles, the king repented, 
and Richelieu became more powerful than ever. Marie de 
Medicis and Gaston were the dupes who had to pay dearly 
for their short triumph. 

595. What is the Epact ? 

The excess of the solar above the lunar year, the former 
'consisting of three hundred and sixty-five days and the 
latter three hundred and fifty-four, or eleven days fewer. 
The epact of any year is the number of days from the last 
new moon of the old year to the first of the following 
January. 

596. What is the fable of the Phoenix ? 

It is said to live five hundred years, when it makes, 
in Arabia, a nest of spices, burns itself to ashes, and 
comes forth with renewed life for another five hundred 


QTJIZZISM; AND ITS KEY. 


211 


years. Kichardson states that it is said to have fifty orifices 
in his hill, continued to his tail. After living one thousand 
years, he builds for himself a funeral pile, sings a melodious 
air through his fifty organ-pipes, flaps his wings with 
a velocity which sets fire to the pile, and consumes himself. 

597. Who was Jaafer ? 

The one who carried the sacred banner of 44 the Prophet” 
(Mohammed) at the battle of Muta. One hand being lopped 
off, he held it with the other; the other being struck off, he 
embraced it with his two stumps; hjs head being cleft 
in twain, he flung himself on the banner staff, and the 
banner was detained thus till Abdallah seized it and handed 
it to Khaled. A similar tale is told of Cynaegeros (the 
brother of HSschylus, the poet), at the battle of Marathon. 

598. How did the thistle become the insignia of 
Scotland ? 

The Danes thought it cowardly to attack an enemy by 
night, but on one occasion deviated from their rule. On 
they crept, barefooted, noiselessly, and unobserved, when 
one of the men set his foot on a thistle, which made him cry 
out. The alarm was given, the Scotch fell upon the night- 
party, and defeated them with terrible slaughter. Ever 
since, the thistle has been adopted as Scotland’s emblem 
with the motto, Nemo me impune lacessit ( 4; No one wounds 
me with impunity.”) This “thistle date” is unknown. 
The Order of the Thistle, also called the Order of St. Andrew, 
is reputed on very insufficient grounds to be of great 
antiquity. The thistle is mentioned as the national emblem 
of Scotland in the inventory of the effects of James III., 
who is thought to have adopted it. It appears on coins of 
James IV., James V., Mary, and James VI.; having on 




212 


quizzism; and its key. 


those of the last-named sovereign the motto above given. 
A collar of thistles appears on the gold bonnet pieces of 
James V., of 1539, and with the royal ensign depicted in 
Sir David Lindsay’s armorial register of 1542. 

599. To whom did Aurora grant immortality ? 

Tithonus, a beautiful Trojan, beloved by Aurora, in 
response to his request; but as he had forgotten to ask for 
youth and vigor, he soon grew old, infirm, and ugly. When 
life became insupportable he prayed Aurora to remove him 
from the world; this, however, she could not do, but she 
changed him into a grasshopper. 

“ An idle scene Tythonus acted 
When to a grasshopper contracted.” 

Prior, The Turtle and Sparrow. 

“ The Morn arose from rich Tithonus* bed.” 

Hoole’s Orlando Furioso, iv. 

600. What is the tradition of St. Patrick and the 
Serpent ? 

According to tradition, St. Patrick freed Ireland of its 
vermin; one old serpent resisted, but St. Patrick overcame 
it by cunning. He made a box and invited the serpent to 
enter it, but the reptile objected, saying it was too small. 
St. Patrick insisted it was quite large enough to be com¬ 
fortable, and, after a long contention, the serpent entered it 
to prove its case, when the saint slammed down the lid, and 
threw the box into the sea. To complete this wonderful 
tale, the legend states that the waves of the sea are made 
by the writhings of this serpent, and the noise of the sea is 
that of the serpent imploring the saint to release it. 























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